Olympians Alistair And Jonny Brownlee Have Joined Forces With Aldi For Its #GetSetEatFresh Campaign
The brothers spoke to Teach Primary editor Elaine Bennett about why they got involved, and their own school memories
How important is sport at primary school? Jonny: Primary school sport is very important. I went to primary school just outside Leeds and sport was massively encouraged.
I remember playing cricket, rugby and football on the playing field and it all went from there. I first did cross country at primary school too, and that’s where I found my love for sport.
What kind of students were you? Alistair: We were both quite diligent students on the whole. I was definitely the kind of kid who, without sport, wouldn’t have done as well at school. I wouldn’t have been able to sit still. Sport was where I could use up my energy.
Breaktime and PE lessons meant that I could concentrate on my schoolwork. Sport was always really, really important to me.
How would your teachers have described you? A: My teachers would have described me as bit hyperactive with a short attention span.
Which subjects did you enjoy? A: Right through school I was more interested in maths and science subjects and Johnny always liked history and arts subjects.
What is your impression of primary schools nowadays? A: We visit lots of primary schools and my impression is that they are very, very good.
Primary school is a crucial part of a child’s life and sets them up for the rest of their life. We’ve visited lots of primary schools where sport is very important. They have cycle tracks and things like that, and encourage kids to get active. I think primary schools do a lot to promote health and exercise.
One of the great things about the #GetSetEatFresh campaign is that activity is really important, but it’s only one side of the equation. Eating healthily is the other side of the see-saw, and that’s the same right up to our level. You train very hard, but you can’t do what you need to do without eating well and living a healthy lifestyle.
Why did you get involved with this campaign? A: This campaign is very close to our hearts. By working with Aldi and Team GB we want to encourage kids and get that message across to lots of children of primary school age. Hopefully it will be a lesson that they will remember for the rest of their lives – it’s a fantastic thing. Eating can be healthy and it’s not expensive – it’s just about eating fresh and eating things in the right balance.
Visit getseteatfresh.co.uk for free curriculum-linked resources about healthy eating.
