Im quatum zzriuscipis nis nim verosto et la aut ipsuscipit, core dolortio odoleni ssenim ea faccum dipsum alismodolor sumsan eu faci Grant hopes the examples set by elite female athletes such as Jessica Ennis will inspire more women to take part in sport
on the BBC) urging on Mary Peters to win the pentathlon and also I recall Olga Korbut in gymnastics. The Soviet gymnast became the global darling of those Games after she fell off the asymmetric bars and burst into tears, although she still ended up with three gold medals that year. Grant studied law at Hull University
and then took specialist legal qualifica- tions in Guildford and eventually joined a solicitor’s practice in Wimbledon concentrating on family law. In 2006, she worked with Iain Duncan Smith’s Centre for Social Justice as the Conser- vatives drew up a policy to deal with family breakdown. Simultaneously, Grant was a non-executive director of the Croydon NHS Primary Care Trust for more than two years before resign- ing to focus on her political career. She became MP for Maidstone and Weald at the 2010 General Election succeeding the retiring Ann Widdecombe. It is no coincidence that she has been
appointed minister in a department headed by Maria Miller, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. Miller is determined to encourage more females, particularly teenagers, to get active. Already an extra 500,000 have
Issue 3 2013 © cybertrek 2013
been taking part in sport over the last year but Grant says: ”Still many are not as engaged as we would like. Some stop when they leave school. Many women are juggling their work with domestic duties and having children. “We have to think more
imaginatively, such as providing creche Getting women into any
physical activity is a plus – but we want more women doing sport more often
facilities. It’s very hard to get out and do something when you’re taking care of children women-only sessions are also important. Getting women into any physical activity is an absolute plus and could be the way to great things. We want more women doing sport and enjoying it. The media has a big part to play. Good progress has already been made but the more exposure we can get, the better it will be.”
PUTTING INTO PRACTICE The department is going to examine the results of the 12-month long ex- periment undertaken in Bury, Greater Manchester, in which women will be attending activities such as group runs, dance and fitness sessions, includ- ing zumba and aerobics. Bury won a national competition, organised by Sport England, to run a pilot scheme to discover what attracts women to activities and what turns them off. A total of £1.8m of public funding has so far been earmarked for the initiative. There is a fear among some young
women that exercise will give them large muscles. Grant rejects such claims. “Personally I never thought that way. I was always fit when I was young and my legs and arms were quite thin. Some of our stars looks fantastic. Look at Jessica Ennis for example.” And Grant herself continues to prac-
tise what she preaches. On holiday last summer she played tennis every day and, at home, goes sailing at weekends and runs on a treadmill that she has at home. Now she just wants more people to follow her example. • Grant was interviewed by John Goodbody for The Sunday Times
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