Asda reveals Greg Rutherford as 'Asda Active' brand ambassador to Get Britain Moving
Asda has joined forces with London 2012 Olympic Champion Greg Rutherford in a bid to Get Britain Moving with Asda Active and help ‘Inspire a Generation’ following research showing that last year’s Games inspired primary school children across Britain to do more sport.
A survey of 2,000 parents revealed that over half (53 per cent) of parents found themselves encouraging their child to take part in sport following London 2012, with 34 per cent encouraging more sport and 20 per cent encouraging their child to take up sport for the first time. Despite the positive results, 72 per cent of parents said more needed to be done to make sport more available to primary school children. To help deliver on the ‘Inspire a Generation’ promises made as part of the bid, Asda has launched ‘Get Britain Moving’, which aims to get local communities leading healthier and more active lifestyles.
“We are passionate about supporting our communities and the Asda Active programme plays a major role in helping us to do this. We are determined that the Olympic spirit lives on post 2012 and want to support parents across Britain by providing access to sport for their children...we are delighted to have an Olympic Champion in Greg on board to turbo-charge engagement within the community and advise us on the programme,” commented Tim Scott, Asda community projects manager.
As an Asda Active Ambassador Rutherford will be helping youngsters to get active both at school and at home. He will attend events, drawing on his own experiences of growing up with sport in order to get parents and children more excited about getting active. Campaign partner Sports Leaders UK will also deliver 400 free sports days in primary schools across Britain, harnessing the spirit of 2012 as part of the initiative.
Rutherford added: “It’s vital that we do as much as we can to build on the success and excitement of last year’s Games…For me and others involved in London 2012, it’s a source of great pride to know that children felt inspired by the efforts of Team GB to do more sport. We can’t let this enthusiasm go to waste by not providing enough sporting opportunities for them to take advantage of, and the commitment of companies such as Asda is vital to help us satisfy the demand.”
50 regional ambassadors have also been recruited by Asda under its ongoing deal with SportsAid, helping the next generation of athletes. The regional ambassadors will attend events and help promote the Asda Active initiatives within their local communities.