Ulster Rugby stars visit school to show healthy eating benefits

Ulster Rugby stars visit school to show healthy eating benefits

19 February 2020

PUPILS at Saintfield High School were given an insight into the healthy eating habits of Ulster’s rugby stars.

They were treated to a bespoke nutrition session last week from Ulster Rugby lead nutritionist Stephanie Gleadhill.

The event was part of the Phoenix Natural Gas and Ulster Rugby LineOutProgramme.

Year 11 and Year 12 Physical Education and Home Economics students were selected for the session and as well as the nutritional insights they also had the opportunity to quiz Ulster players Luke Marshall and Kieran Treadwell on how they put nutritional advice into practice.

Stephanie Gleadhill said afterwards: “Nutrition is a vital element for any young person in reaching their potential physically and academically so it’s great to have the opportunity to help educate even more students on how they can eat well and improve their performance and recovery. 

“For us at Ulster Rugby delivering sessions like this within the community enables us to engage with and support young people in communities right across the province.”

Mark Elliott, Head of PE at Saintfield High School said: “The session with Stephanie and the players was superb. Young people are exposed to so many myths around nutrition and food through social media so it was great to have Stephanie here to give practical and sensible advice to enable our students to make informed choices.

“Hearing Luke and Kieran share their experiences was eye opening for some of the students and really helped demonstrate Stephanie’s key points.

“We would like to say a huge thanks to Ulster Rugby and Phoenix Natural Gas for this fantastic opportunity.”

Jonathan Martindale, Director of Sales and Marketing at Phoenix Natural Gas, said: “There are so many attributes in sport that are vital for individuals and communities to develop, such as teamwork, resilience and communication, and we see the Lineout Programme and range of initiatives within it as an engaging way to share these skills with people of all ages and backgrounds right across our licence area.”