Childhood obesity 'tsar' for city

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An official has been employed to tackle childhood obesity in Birmingham, where a third of 11-year-olds are overweight.

Dr Patrick Lowe has been employed by the city council to encourage youngsters to have more exercise and healthy food - at a cost of Â£45,000.

Part of his vision is to have personal trainers working on a one-to-one basis with pupils in every school.

Parents can also be shown how to cook vegetables properly and prepare a cheap, healthy, lunchbox.

'Free swimming'

Dr Lowe's task is to reduce childhood obesity in more than 400 schools.

He would work with, for example, the planning department to create more playgrounds and the transport department to have extra cycle lanes.

More walking buses for schools are also planned.

He said: "My job is to tackle within our community the year-on-year rise in childhood... obesity.

"That involves working with our schools, with our parents, with our communities to develop things as diverse as cycle lanes to free swimming."

If the initiative proves to be successful, it could be introduced across the UK.