Teenagers in Bucks the '˜most active' in the country

More than 43% of the area’s teenagers in the 14-16 age group take part in some form of sporting activity for at least 30 minutes each week – meaning Bucks is ranked number one in the league table across the whole of England.

Sport England’s Active People Survey shows that Bucks is one of just four areas nationwide with a statistically significant increase in the number of 14 to 16-year-olds playing sport over the last ten years.

Participation has risen from 40.3% in the last decade to 43.3%.

Meanwhile, the county’s adult population also showed a strong improvement over the last ten years, with sport activity rising from 38.6% to 41.7%, meaning Bucks is third in the national table.

Mark Ormerod, director of Leap, the Sport and Activity Partnership for Bucks said: “This is very good news, particularly given there is a new Government focus on more young people playing sport.

“The increased participation is due to years of hard work of various bodies coming together through our partnership with schools, local authorities and public health.

“While we are number one in terms of 14-16 year-olds, it’s still sobering to think that less than half of the youngsters in this age category take part in sport on a regular basis.

“We hope new funding streams from Sport England, continued investment through the Primary School Sport Premium, School Games and new sugar tax levy can have a positive impact for children and young people countrywide.”

Mr Ormerod added that he believed the county’s success was down to the partnership that had been built in recent years.

He said: “We work with over 300 partners across the county, from the district and county councils, including public health and wider health partners through to community groups, clubs, schools and colleges.

“Working with this variety of partners has meant that we can help establish a real breadth of opportunities.”