I'M delighted to start my first column of 2018 with some very good news.

Thanks to our admirable sports development team, we’ve achieved the goal of becoming the country’s first local authority to deliver a highly regarded sporting programme to an entire year group.

Monmouthshire’s sport development team started the autumn term with a clear target to involve all year five pupils in the Sports Leaders UK Playmaker award. And four months later 941 children - every single year five pupil - have successfully undertaken the six hour leadership programme.

All 30 of the county’s primary schools took part in the scheme.

The Playmaker programme is widely recognised for developing opportunities at primary school level and focuses on communication, leadership, organisation and resilience.

After pupils have achieved the award they provide a positive impact on well-being within their schools.

During the remainder of the school year the sports development team will bring all year five pupils together to take part in activities including the daily mile and workshops on school sports surveys, healthy eating, disability inclusion training and anti-bullying schemes.

These activities will focus mainly on physical and emotional well-being and provide further support for the children after achieving the Playmaker award.

The team is also keen to ensure pupils’ voices are heard as it works towards the target of getting every child hooked on sport.

The sports development team is committed to offering the Playmaker programme for all future year five classes and we aim to increase the number of young people holding recognised qualifications as well as boosting their personal development.

These objectives are very much in line with the aims of the Welsh Government’s Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.

This requires public bodies in Wales to think about the long-term impact of their decisions, to work better with people, communities and each other, and to prevent persistent problems such as poverty and health inequalities at source.

The Sports Leaders UK Playmaker programme is a potential game changer in tackling obesity and ensuring Monmouthshire’s younger generation has the best possible start in life.

Our aspiration is that our young people continue to grow into confident leaders and embed health and physical activity into the centre of their daily routine and lifestyle.