WI members in new challenge

4:20pm Sunday 17th February 2008

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Gwinear Parish Women's Institute is the latest group to take up the Nintendo Wii challenge from Cornwall Sports Partnership.

The CSP , funded by Sport England, saw an opportunity to use the popular console with community groups and sports clubs and devised a series of new resource cards to accompany the Wii; "We devised the cards to compliment the console using heart rate monitors and stability balls - turning the Wii into something that had a structured physical benefit to the user" said Chris Hunkin from Cornwall Sports Partnership - who leads the Wii Project.

"The kids loved it and now we are using it in the community and workplace as a way of engaging adults to get involved in 'virtual sport'. We hope that this will be an introduction into taking up real sports like Tennis, Golf, Athletics etc' - The Cornwall Sports Partnership are working with the WI by introducing taster sessions with the Wii over the coming months with a view to holding a WI Wii Championship in the Autumn.

Gwinear ladies were the first to take up the Wii challenge by taking part in the Boxing bout.

Liz Davis, from Gwinear, said: What fun - I can't believe the workout you get from a computer game its really quite challenging but if us ladies can do it anyone can!