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Aggregate Industries supports schools scheme

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Construction materials supplier Aggregate Industries, based at Bardon Hill in Leicestershire, has joined forces with Leicester Tigers on the innovative community Concrete Rugby programme aimed at promoting healthy lifestyle, teamwork and self-confidence among young people.

Concrete Rugby delivers a five-week programme to Leicester city and Leicestershire high school children, teaching them how to play touch or contact rugby, allowing the game to be played on any surface.
 
Reaching more than 1,000 children during the season, training starts with a hands-on, PE-style rugby coaching session promoting the benefits of sport and a healthy lifestyle to encourage enjoyment of exercise. This is followed by a desk-based lesson covering issues including healthy eating, drugs, road safety, online safety and the dangers of peer pressure.
 
Concrete Rugby is a positive, exciting opportunity for young people to experience a new sport and learn new skills, spreading rugby’s ethos of teamwork, respect, discipline and sportsmanship, all while having fun.
 
The programme was officially launched at Leicester Tigers’s home game against Harlequins on Sunday with a half-time presentation in front of a 25,000-strong crowd and a session of touch rugby with pupils from Queen Elizabeth College.
  
Aggregate Industries CEO, François Petry, said: "In Aggregates Industries, Health & Safety underpins everything we do. Ensuring a safe environment for our colleagues and encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle is our number one priority as a business.
 
“Aggregate Industries are delighted to be working in partnership with Leicester Tigers.
 
“As a local company, we pride ourselves on playing an active and valuable role in the community. We’ve already had initial sessions at local schools with a mix of boys and girls, and the feedback has been very positive.
 
“We are delighted with the results so far and look forward to an exciting year ahead."
 
Leicester Tigers chief executive, Simon Cohen, said: "We are delighted to renew our relationship with Aggregate Industries and to launch a programme which we both feel will play a big part in the community, promoting the ethos of the game of rugby and bringing the game to young people who may not have had the opportunity before."
 
Figures for 2014 from the Health Survey for England found that 31.2% of children aged 2-15 were classed as either overweight or obese, and so the training will focus on the importance of staying active for health and how to do it in a fun way through rugby.
 
Councillor Nick Rushton, leader of Leicestershire County Council, joined Tigers for the official launch event on Sunday and said: “Concrete Rugby is a welcomed programme in the region. We have all seen the figures on the increasing rate of child obesity and the lack of physical education, and it’s our duty to put initiatives such as this in place to help educate youngsters on living a healthy and active lifestyle.
 
“However, the programme goes much further and looks at a host of issues facing the youth of today. I congratulate Aggregate Industries and Leicester Tigers on their efforts.” 
 
For more information on Aggregate Industries, see www.aggregate.com