A national programme which aims to tackle childhood obesity run in Haverhill has been ranked in the top 5 in the UK.

The MEND (Mind, Exercise, Nutrition... Do It!) programme is a national social enterprise initiative funded by the National Lottery which aims to enable a significant, measurable and sustainable reduction in global overweight and obesity levels. The programme, developed by Great Ormond Street Hospital, is delivered around the UK and involves educating children and their families in a fun way on nutrition, diet, and exercise.

Abbeycroft Leisure ran the programme at Haverhill Leisure Centre last year in partnership with NHS Suffolk. The Haverhill project has now been ranked in the top 5 programmes in the UK for 2010 based on attendance levels, BMI & waist and feedback from families of those who have participated.

Eleven children attended the ten-week long course in September 2010 along with one of their parents twice a week for two hours. During the first hour children and their parents had a theory session and for the second the children did exercise for an hour. The youngsters will undergo six month and 12 month reviews and are rewarded for continuing their efforts at home with bowling or cinema trips as a group. The group at Haverhill is also taking part in 'follow on' sessions provided by Abbeycroft, allowing the families to continue physical activity with a group they are familiar with and surroundings they feel comfortable in.

Matt Hickey, Abbeycroft's Fitness Manager, said: "At each session, the group takes part in the MEND group dance. This is put together by using the Letters M, E, N D and for these letters they make up a movement. M = MIND, E = EXERCISE, N = NUTIRTION & D = DO IT! The children then took it in turn to lead this activity. This was also used during the session to liven the children up as sitting and listening in a classroom used to tire them and would be easily distracted so the dance was a good tool to use to wake them up! "There were lots of practical activities to get them involved including sessions on reading food labels and touring the local supermarket as a 'MEND Detective' with their very own detective magnifying glass card."

Michael Hattrell, NHS Suffolk's health improvement manager, said: "This project has delivered real results and highlights the importance of good diet and exercise in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. By tackling obesity at an early age we can reduce the number of illnesses that people have later in life, as well as helping people feel better and live longer."

Warren Smyth, Chief Executive of Abbeycroft Leisure, said: "This is an excellent example of how two partners can work together to benefit the local community. The combination of expertise has provided a service that has achieved some excellent results for local people and my congratulations go to all those involved in the project."