Reading West MP Martin Salter has endorsed a campaign to promote skipping and healthy eating in primary schools by taking part in the annual Parliamentary skipping contest.

Martin Salter, who has taken part in the annual contest for the past two years managed 120 skips in two minutes. In spite of coming in the top twenty he confessed himself disappointed.

Mr Salter said:-

“I was determined to beat my performance last year, when I achieved 131 skips and came 10^th overall, so when they announced that my time was nearly up I upped the pace but unfortunately got tangled in my skipping rope. It was a tactical blunder and left me in 13^th place - three places behind my Reading East colleague Rob Wilson. Not bad for my age but not good enough!”

He added:-

“I am confident, however, that with the right training and motivation, by next year I’ll be back in the top ten.”

The contest is run by professional boxing trainer John McCormack, who has spent the last seven years running the Skip2bFit programme which visits schools and teaches children the value of a healthy lifestyle.

John McCormack said:-

A few minutes of skipping between lessons gets kids fit and keeps their minds sharp and active enabling them to learn We also encourage healthy eating. I have delivered this programme into thousands of schools and it works wonders. I would like to congratulate all the MPs who took time out of their busy schedules, to take part. The health of the nation is now a national priority and these MPs have helped today to show that everyone can be more active.