Parents at Wheatfield Primary School in Winnersh can rest assured their children are receiving an all-round education in mind and body after a weekly Multi-Sport club was established – and promptly filled by eager would-be athletes.

The club takes place from 3.30-4.30pm each Wednesday and is overseen by Berkshire company Get Active Sports. So far 15 children from Sunflower Class have registered to take part and have had the chance to try their hands at dodge ball, football, tag rugby, hockey and basketball.

“Multi-Sport is a really welcome addition to what we can offer at the school,” said executive head teacher Bev Homer. “The coaches really inspire the children to want to get involved and try new things. Physical activity is obviously important and to be encouraged from the health and exercise point of view, but it’s also really good that they’re being offered the chance to try out new activities like hockey and tag rugby, which they’re less likely to have encountered at such a young age. That means everyone is starting on an equal footing, which can be a real help for children who are maybe less confident about
such things.”

Wheatfield Primary has only been open since last September, so Mrs Homer admitted that introducing something like Multi Sports was a bit of an experiment – but fortunately one that has turned out to be a great success. “The response we’ve had so far shows that there’s a real appetite for these kind of activities in the school, so I hope it’s something we can continue with as we grow and expand in the future.”

The British fitness modelling calendar should brace itself for a whole new injection of glamour when a new championship – Glifting 2015 – takes place in the @Bristol venue on Saturday 11 April.

The competition and show, to celebrate the beauty of health – and vice versa – is the brainchild of fitness model, athlete, mother to two daughters, DJ, kick boxing instructor, personal trainer, nutritionist and local business woman Natalia Aisha.

“The basic message is ‘fit is fashionable, and if you’re healthy on the inside, you’re healthy on the outside’, and that’s what Glifting aims to celebrate,” she explained. “Recently, going to the gym and keeping in shape have become fashionable like never before – people are proud to show off their fitness, it’s part of their beauty. Glifting is about showcasing that, and also rewarding people for their efforts.”

The name Glifting comes from ‘Glam Girls That Lift,’ and was inspired by Natalia’s own experience after competing in the Fit Factor Bodypower competition 2014. Natalia prepped herself for the competition, eating extremely clean and spending five weeks in Thailand to further her career in martial arts - but she also found herself attending every training session available, to develop an overall lean physique.

“Afterwards, I felt so good, and as much as the fitness side of things, it was down to the effort I’d made with my appearance, so I thought ‘this is something we can work on, to encourage other people to feel this good’, so that’s where the idea came from,” she explained.

What for many people starts out as a hobby – going to the gym – can become a way of life, and for some, even a profession. Initially, these are the people that Glifting 2015 is hoping to attract.

“Attract is the key word there – health and fitness look attractive, which is why top fitness models make a living out of it and get to travel the world; people want to be associated with a healthy, positive image, and that’s what we’re all about” she said.

“We want to showcase the best – but also to say to other people ‘you can do this too, we can turn anybody, and in fact any body, into an athlete’” over a due course of time and experiences.

Glifting 2015 is an entirely natural event – any kind of enhancements or substances are strictly forbidden. 

With judges including such big names in the fitness model world as Natasha Murray, Romane Lanceford, Veronique Rees and Ry Williams, and compered by tv host and model Charlayne Everhart, Glifting is sending out the message that it is here to stay – and Natalia already has plans for the event to get bigger and better.

“The competitive categories will see people from similar backgrounds going up against one another - so for example there’ll be muscle shape rounds, a transformation round for people who’ve been over or underweight etc – and going forward, we want to bring in categories for amateurs too, and also people with disabilities,” she explained.

Expansion into the disability category is particularly important for Natalia, as she wants to demonstrate how health and fitness can be an incentive for people who may be recovering from serious injury. Natalia herself was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, a central nervous disorder and after much research decided she didn't want to go down the route of a life time of medication, Instead, strength and condition training, eating clean and a healthy lifestyle keeps her condition manageable.

“We want Glifting 2015 to show people how good it feels to be fit and to look fit – clean living is the key to a longer, happier life,” she concluded. “As a competitor myself, I know how good it makes you feel to know that you look good on the outside. If you’re healthy on the outside, you’ll feel healthy on the inside too. Come along to Glifting 2015 and you’ll see the living proof.”