Herefordshire girls are being encouraged to get active this week (March 12th-16th) as the Sports Partnership Herefordshire & Worcestershire (SPHW) launch ’Here Girls Can’.

The local campaign, styled on the national ’This Girl Can’ initiative, which runs from March 12th – 16th, is designed to get girls moving, regardless of shape, size or ability.

St Mary’s RC High and Whitecross High are acting as lead schools for the county and will transform their PE lessons for the week. Students will be able to try non-traditional sports including, Clubbercise, Yoga, Body Balance and Zumba.

As part of the campaign, each girl is given a ’Peach Pass’ that entitles them to participate in a new activity, free of charge, which could be anything from football to climbing.

According to recent findings from the Office for National Statistics, girls are less likely to participate in sports activities than boys, with a daily participation rate of 26 per cent, compared with 39 per cent for eight-15-year-old males. This was despite the fact that girls who participated in sports got the same level of enjoyment from it as boys; the ’Here Girls Can’ campaign is aimed at changing female’s perception of sport and physical activity, in turn, tackling some of the mental health problems that UK teenagers experience.

Ruth Jones, Project Manager, at the SPHW said: “We know that girls in particular experience a fear of being judged; whether that’s because they feel they’re not good enough or don’t have the right kit to wear; or it could be that they don’t wish to get sweaty in front of others or be laughed at.

“We want to break down these barriers for our young women and help them uncover what their motivations may be for taking part in sport and physical activity.

“The Here Girls Can campaign directly tackles the fear of judgement that, according to research, stops so many women and girls from taking part in physical activity. It also shows that you don’t have to be good at sport and exercise to benefit from all the positive feelings physical activity can bring.”