Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 13 June 2018

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs

Tackling Childhood Obesity: Discussion (Resumed)

9:30 am

Mr. Colin Regan:

There is a health club in every county and the scheme is open to any club that is interested. We welcome expressions of interest from any club. It is an adapted version of rounders. I expect we have all played rounders in our youth and enjoyed it. Instead of the throw, which can limit some people, the ball is on a tee. It is wheelchair-friendly. Each station around the pitch has a little mat and one must engage in an exercise which promotes the fundamental movements. If one turns the mat over, there is also a wheelchair-friendly exercise. When we launched it on the grounds in Trinity College Dublin last year, some of the pupils from the Central Remedial Clinic came down. The great thing was that those who might not have been physically able to swing a bat had special needs assistants or family member, often a parent or sibling out getting their exercise with his or her child, as part of the game. It is very family-friendly and also special needs adapted.