Radley College is pleased to launch a new three-year strategic partnership with Active Oxfordshire, which is set to help hundreds of young people facing disadvantage to be more active.
In Oxfordshire’s wealthiest areas 80% of children can swim by the time they finish primary school, but this falls to less than 10% in our county’s most deprived areas. This partnership will challenge these major health inequalities, so that more children have the opportunities they deserve to live an active life.
We have been working with Active Oxfordshire since 2018 to help local children and young people learn to swim, ride a bike and try rowing. This work became critical in the Covid-19 pandemic when children across the county missed out on swimming lessons as leisure centres and schools were closed. Our regular bike donation days have seen more than 350 bikes donated to young people in Oxford through the Oxford Hub and via Sanctuary Wheels, a project providing bikes to asylum seekers.
Josh Lenthall, Chief Executive of Active Oxfordshire, said: “We’re delighted to be entering into this three-year partnership with Radley College. Thanks to their support, hundreds more children and young people in Oxfordshire can now swim, ride a bike and enjoy rowing. We know that only half of children in our county are doing enough activity to protect their health and wellbeing, and with the cost of living crisis causing so much concern, this situation could get significantly worse. Our partnership with Radley College will make sure that children can still enjoy being active, and we’re looking forward to reaching many more children and young people over the next three years.”
