Leisure centre junk food under scrutiny

WHY does my leisure centre smell like chips? That's the question asked by young people in Sheffield as they pointed out the amount of junk food on offer in buildings supposedly dedicated to getting us healthier.

- ROB PARSONS

At the entrance of Ponds Forge swimming pool they saw cute, cuddly, characters on vending machines full of junk food, while at IceSheffield it was hard to find something to eat that wasn't a chip butty, a chocolate bar, or a packet of crisps.

Bite Back, a young people's campaign group, met Sheffield City Council officials and asked them to protect child health by increasing options for healthy and affordable food in council-owned spaces, and reducing the sale of unhealthy food. And inspiringly (for those who've become jaded by the ability of politics to make a difference) it worked.