Girls from five of the county's secondary schools were put through their paces this week at a special day with Britain's number one downhill mountain biker, Tracy Moseley at a PGL outdoor activity centre near Ross on Wye.
The aim was to encourage 14 and 15 year old girls who don't currently get involved in any kind of sport to have a go at some alternative activities and develop a plan to get girls active in their own schools.
In spite of many initiatives aimed at encouraging healthy active lifestyles, there is a 25 per cent dip in the number of girls participating in physical education and school sport when they reach the age of 14. To try and change this and encourage more girls to get involved in physical education and sport, Dame Kelly Holmes is piloting a Girls Active programme on behalf of the Youth Sport Trust and Norwich Union.
Herefordshire has been unable to join this national programme because the county's average participation rates are too high, in spite of the dip with 14 year old girls.
As a result Colleen Mullarkey, representing the Whitecross Schools Sports Partnership decided to adapt the national programme to suit local circumstances. Girls from St Mary's RC High School, John Masefield High School, Aylestone High School, Kingstone High School and Whitecross Sports College signed up to attend a Girls Active day at PGL, Court Farm.
Each school was invited to nominate eight girls; a mixture of those who were already actively involved in sports and those who weren't. The day was supported by the Youth Sport Trust, Sporting Champions and the Big Lottery, with HALO Leisure, PGL and Dance Fest providing a range of activities which included body balance, combat, abseiling, zip wire and dance. Tracy spent time with all the girls, helping them handle their fears and encouraging them to have a go at trying some of the more challenging activities.
While the girls were getting active, the teachers who attended with them were briefed on how the girls could use the day to bring about changes in their own school.
Colleen Mullarkey, partnership development manager of Whitecross school sports partnership, said: "It was a great day and the girls were absolutely fantastic. It was really difficult for many of them to participate at first - they felt self-conscious and lacked the confidence to have a go. But with help from Tracy and the rest of the team, they participated in all the activities.
"The girls will now become Girls Active champions for their schools. They have to work with their friends to find out why they don't participate in activities at the moment so that the school can try to change this. For example, traditional sports don't suit everyone and schools might want to consider offering alternative activities to encourage participation."
The action plans put together by the girls will be monitored by their schools and the Whitecross Schools Sport Partnership to see if the scheme has been successful.