Tony Blair, whose Sports Foundation is being developed in the North East, today hailed a ground-breaking project which uses indoor rowing as a focal point in the fight against obesity and inactivity.

The former Prime Minister has been impressed by a unique partnership between Birmingham City Council, the Heart of Birmingham Teaching Primary Care Trust and Concept2, which oversees his Foundation’s indoor rowing programme.

“I’ve been struck by how our indoor rowing events never fail to engage young people” he said, following a successful “taster event” for the TBSF at Castle View school in Sunderland. “The enthusiasm they generate is overwhelming.

“We can use that enthusiasm to build on the pioneering work done in Birmingham, and develop it further through the Tony Blair Sports Foundation across the whole North East. This puts sport, and physical activity, in the forefront of our efforts to create a culture of health, fitness and wellbeing.

“Having met the principals involved, I can only applaud their foresight in using indoor rowing as a tool to combat childhood obesity and inactivity, and to promote the philosophy of lifelong fitness.”

Mr Blair was briefed by Kevin Haywood and Amanda Pickard, from the Heart of Birmingham teaching PCT, and Helen Miles and Ray Davies, from Birmingham City Council.

They have been driving forces in a scheme which has seen Concept2 machines installed in more than 200 schools in some of the city’s most deprived wards. They have successfully targeted those pupils who do not take part in traditional PE programmes, including girls, the overweight, ethnic minorities, and those with physical disabilities and learning difficulties.

The TBSF project aims, through partners drawn from the region’s business community, to embed the activity in each of the 31 School Sport Partnerships in the North East over the next two years. This will involve more than 250 schools and in excess of 70,000 children.