THE man who runs University College Worcester will be

discussing sports instead of students when he helps looks at ways to get people out of their armchairs and on to the playing field.

UCW principal Prof David Green has been drafted on to the regional board of Sport England, which is examining ways to encourage more people to take up physical activity.

He will join a 10-strong working group that will will look at where money needs to be spent, aimed at encouraging 50,000 people each year to become more active.

"At UCW we are proud to take a lead in developing sports and recreational activities for the community, and we've seen the benefits our walking groups, coaching schemes and summer camps have brought to the area," said Prof Green, who is himself a keen cricketer.

"I will be using the knowledge gained from these projects to look at ways of creating similarly beneficial schemes throughout the west Midlands, and will be making a case for Worcestershire-based projects in particular."

One in four women and one in five men from the west Midlands, which includes Worcestershire, are classed as obese - one of the trends Prof Green said the team would be aiming to reverse.

Other members of the board include former Olympic swimmer Nick Gillingham MBE, Dr Rashmi Shukla, West Midlands Director of Public Health, and Rachel Pavlou, Regional Development Manager for the Football Association.