THE bid to drive down obesity in Kirklees has been a massive success.

The mission of the Change4Life campaign was to get families moving more and eating more healthily with one end goal – living longer.

And over the past few months, adults and children across the district have been embracing the lifestyle revolution wholeheartedly.

Thousands of people of all ages have been up on their feet and moving, cycling and swimming their way to improved fitness at events staged across the area.

Obesity statistics in the UK are alarming, with one third of children and two thirds of adults overweight.

To stop the problem getting worse by encouraging families to change their lifestyles, the three-year Change4Life campaign was launched across the country.

In Kirklees many activities have been developed and expanded on to motivate families to lead a healthier way of life.

And locals have had a superb time getting to grips with the fun and new sports activities on offer in the area.

Hundreds of children have been involved in the dance mats project, using state-of-the art technology to get users exercising without even realising it.

The kit, part of a £250,000 scheme funded by NHS Kirklees, will soon be rolled out to sports centres and schools across the district.

For new mums, Buggyfit sessions were introduced to get them back into shape after having a baby and children were encouraged to start moving at an early age with the very popular Toddle4Life and Bee-fit and Mini-Moovers dance classes.

And school holiday activities organised are set to continue into term-time.

The Swim4Free initiative offering 200 hours of free swimming to over 60s and under 16s has been a great success story, with over 20,000 people having already signed up.

Jane Donarski, Kirklees swim project co-ordinator, said: “We are extremely pleased with the success of Swim4Free, which has attracted hundreds of people who wouldn’t normally have gone swimming.”

Families told how they had found activities to enjoy together.

Keen cyclist Stephen Knight, from Netherton, told how he and his three children were benefiting from pedal power.

He said: “It’s perfect as an activity we can all do together and the kids love getting out and seeing new places.”

And the Examiner’s own Change4Life family explained how getting on board with the movement had changed their lives for the better.

Heidi Thorp, who embraced the challenge with husband Lee and children Nathan and Naomi, said: “Taking up the challenge has made a real difference to all of us and we’re all feeling a lot better.

“For us it’s not about losing weight. it’s about being healthier and encouraging our children to make changes that will hopefully last a lifetime.”

Overhauling your lifestyle may seem like a big challenge, but a few small steps can make all the difference.

And with people getting involved with the movement all the time, they are proof that it’s never too late to change for life.