Former GB athlete makes business leap

Olympic gold medallist Sally Gunnell OBE met up again with fellow athlete Keri Lees (Maddock) to help launch a new and exciting venture for Keri.

Keri competed for Britain alongside Sally from the age of 15 to 28. Keri is the first in the Staffordshire region to embark on the Leaps and Bounds programme for Nursery Schools. The two-year progressive skills award programme developed by Tumble Tots is designed to complement the curriculum nurseries currently provide for their children.

Leaps and Bounds, developed in consultation with Patricia Maude, MBE, lecturer of physical education with Homerton College, Cambridge, was introduced because of an increasing demand from nurseries for a Tumble Tots-type physical developmental programme for their children.

'With current lifestyles, and the growing problem of child obesity, childcare providers and parents are aware of the importance of getting children to start on a healthy lifestyle from a young age. The more they enjoy physical activity, the more likely they are to keep it up throughout their adult years,' says Keri.

Sally Gunnell says: 'It is great to see how involved children are in the activities and how much fun they're having. We know if children begin to enjoy physical activity from an early age, they will keep it up in later life.'