Families are being urged to get outdoors after new figures found that a quarter of children in Bury are finishing primary school obese.

According to NHS Digital, almost 40 per cent of youngsters in Bury were registered at an unhealthy weight when they finished primary school in 2021 to 2022.

Within the results, 5.5 per cent of Year Six pupils were classed as severely overweight, leaving them at a high risk of poor health before even leaving school.

Marc Young, an Education and Youth Service Director at The SunnyWood Project, has seen issues such as childhood obesity in the Bury community and the Sunnywood Project is hoping to help reduce the numbers.

Marc said: “More and more we see new families joining in our outdoor events as they are not sure how to spend time outside without going to the park for half an hour.

“It’s common knowledge that spending time outside is good for mental and physical health but with screen time being the main focus for many children it can be really difficult to get outside.

“Childhood obesity is a problem in our local community and across the country, spending time in the natural environment improves our mental health and well-being; it can reduce stress, fatigue, anxiety and depression, boost immune systems, encourage physical activity, and may even reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as asthma.”

The data, obtained by the Government's annual National Child Measurement Programme, records the height and weight of year 6 and reception-age children in state-maintained schools across England to monitor obesity trends.

It revealed that 31.3 per cent of 10 and 11-year-old children living in the most deprived areas of England were obese compared to 13.5 per cent of those living in the least deprived areas.

Helen Stewart, officer for health improvement at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health said the data "reaffirms the intrinsic link between obesity and poverty".

She said: "We now find ourselves in a situation where our most vulnerable children are twice as likely to become obese, and subsequently be at a higher risk of chronic illnesses, mental health issues and even a shorter life span.

"It’s inherently wrong that these children can be placed at such a disadvantage before even leaving primary school."

Across England, obesity prevalence among both reception and year 6 pupils fell in 2021-22, to 10.1 per cent and 23.4 per cent respectively, following a rise the previous year.

But the obesity rate for both classes is still higher than before the pandemic as the crisis "exacerbated an already bad situation", according to the Obesity Health Alliance.

Director Katharine Jenner said: "The precise causes will still need to be analysed, but we do know that sales of unhealthy food products increased during the pandemic.

"The small drop, likely to be a consequence of children returning to school post-pandemic and having regular snack and mealtimes, shows improvements are possible. But they will not drop further without political will from the highest levels of government."