Sarah Brealey Everyone was a winner today as 40 schools walked away with a share of almost £30,000-worth of free sports coaching to help their pupils to get fit.

Sarah Brealey

Everyone was a winner today as 40 schools walked away with a share of almost £30,000-worth of free sports coaching to help their pupils to get fit.

At a prestigious prize-giving ceremony at Sportspark at the University of East Anglia (UEA), the five overall winners of the EDP/Premier Sport's Fit for the Future competition were announced as:

t West Walton Primary

t Wetheringsett Primary, near Eye

t Falcon Junior, Sprowston

t Eaton Primary

t St Edmund's Catholic Primary, Bungay.

The schools will each get a term of free PE instruction, plus a breakfast, lunch and after-school club for one day per week throughout the term - all worth £3,500.

The remaining 35 schools did not go away empty handed, with each winning a free day of sport, including a breakfast, lunch and after-school club - worth £300 each.

The winners were announced by Olympic swimming gold medallist Duncan Goodhew at the end of a day of sporting fun and games for representatives from most of the schools that entered the competition.

Children played football, basketball and gymnastics with trained Premier Sport coaches, then saw a fast bowling exhibition by former Norfolk cricketer Bud Bailey, the 6ft 7in England youth team regular who plays for Northants.

They also had a few moments of imaginary glory as they wore Goodhew's Olympic gold medal from Moscow 1980 and carried the genuine Olympic torch that was taken around London earlier this year.

Fit for the Future, which is supported by Olympic champion Lord Coe and rugby World Cup winner Lawrence Dallaglio, was launched in the wake of an exclusive EDP story that told how today's children are in danger of dying before their parents because of poor diet and a lack of exercise.

Primary schools do their best to serve up a varied diet of sport and exercise, but many suffer from a lack of specialists to plan a programme.

t Visit www.edp24.co.uk early in the coming days to see a slideshow of pictures from the event.