GIRLS and women throughout Worcestershire are being encouraged to become more active and get involved in a hugely diverse range of activities – some traditional and others slightly wacky - on offer across the county.

Worcs Girls Can is a county-wide campaign being led by Sports Partnership Herefordshire and Worcestershire and runs from Monday February 13 to Friday February 17 at a range of venues throughout the area.

It aims to offer girls from the around the age of 11 and women up to the age of 65 the chance to find out more about sporting and exercise opportunities and take part in taster sessions and mass events like Zumba.

It follows an extremely successful pilot campaign in Malvern last year when 61 different activities were offered at a number of schools and sports clubs - engaging about 500 young women.

This year’s event has been extended to the whole county and is part of the national campaign called This Girl Can which was originally launched in 2014.

According to Sport England only 31.6 per cent of women play sport at least once a week compared to 41.7 per cent of men. Nationally, 13 million women and girls said they wanted to play more sport, of whom, nearly half are currently inactive.

The drive to encourage more girls and women to become physically active is also seen as part of the battle to deal with mental health issues experienced by teenage girls. Exercise is renowned as being good for the mind as well as the body – helping to reduce stress, raise self-esteem and reduce the risk of depression and anxiety.

Exercise also encourages the release of endorphins from the pituitary gland – the body’s own feel-good chemicals – which produce a sense of well-being.

Worcs Girls Can is a campaign aiming to change females’ perception of sport and get local girls and women moving. This year it will be delivered across the county with a lead school in each district. The lead schools are Tudor Grange Academy in Worcester for Worcester City; King Charles I School in Kidderminster for Wyre Forest; St Augustine’s Catholic High School Redditch; South Bromsgrove High School; Prince Henry’s High School, Evesham, for Wychavon; and The Chase School, Malvern for Malvern Hills.

There will be a huge range of activities girls and young women can find out about from archery and sailing to Zumba and American football as well as some of the more unusual, if somewhat wacky, combinations of Pilates and boxing or cricket with aerobics.

Stephen Brewster, chief executive officer of Sports Partnership Herefordshire and Worcestershire stated, "Physical activity participation among women and girls is a priority for the Sports Partnership Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

“The upcoming Worcs Girls Can campaign will allow us to engage with our local schools, clubs and organisations to help break down the barriers to sport and physical activity for young women. It will also help highlight the positive effects that taking part in physical activity can have both physically and mentally.

"The campaign is a great opportunity to utilise our partnerships in an area of growing concern. The project was initially run across Malvern Hills district last year and was a resounding success, so we are delighted to be relaunching the campaign on a county-wide basis, with the hope of establishing and developing a much wider impact."

Worcs Girls Can is open to any Worcestershire-based school to participate, with the help of nominated 'lead schools' Sports Partnership Herefordshire and Worcestershire will continue their bid to get women and girls across our two counties moving.

The Sports Partnership is also looking for clubs and other organisations which would like to engage more women and girls in sessions that they are running and promote their activity as part of Worcs Girls Can.

For further information regarding the campaign or to find out how you can support or become involved with the campaign, please contact Bronwyn Clifford on b.clifford@worc.ac.uk.

According to Sport England many females want to become active but they are afraid to exercise due to their fear of judgement about their appearance, ability or how they choose to spend their time.

Sport England chief executive officer Jennie Price, said: “The figures on participation are crystal clear. There is a significant gender gap, with two million more men than women exercising or playing sport regularly. I believe we can tackle this gap, because our research shows that 75 per cent of women would like to do more.

“Before we began this campaign, we looked very carefully at what women were saying about why they felt sport and exercise was not for them. Some of the issues, like time and cost, were familiar, but one of the strongest themes was a fear of judgement. Worries about being judged for being the wrong size, not fit enough and not skilled enough came up time and again.

"Every single woman I have talked to about this campaign – and that is now hundreds – has identified with this, and it is that fear of not being ‘good enough’ in some way, and the fear that you are the only one who feels like that, that we want to address.

“In This Girl Can we want to tell the real story of women who exercise and play sport. They come in all shapes and sizes and all levels of ability. They have a myriad of reasons for doing what they do. If you are wondering if you should join them – or carry on – this campaign says it really doesn’t matter if you are a bit rubbish or completely brilliant, the main thing is that you are a woman and you are doing something, and that deserves to be celebrated.”

For more about This Girl Can, go to www.thisgirlcan.co.uk where there is more information about the women in the campaign, get tips on how to become active and join the national debate. You can also use the hashtag #thisgirlcan to join the conversation on Twitter.

More details about specific activities and events during the Worcs Girl Can week will be announced nearer the time. For information about current sporting and exercise activities available in Worcestershire visit the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Sports Partnership activity finder at http://www.sportspartnershiphw.co.uk/activities