New GULP Sport projects launched in Oldham and Cheshire East

Health Equalities Group has launched two new GULP Sport projects in Oldham and Cheshire East, extending our work with local authority and community sport partners to improve children’s oral health, reduce high-sugar drink consumption, and support healthier weight outcomes.

GULP – Give Up Loving Pop – is HEG’s long-standing prevention programme focused on reducing children’s exposure to sugar-sweetened beverages and supporting healthier hydration habits. Over the past decade, GULP has developed from a campaign on the harms of sugary drinks into a structured, place-based programme that supports local systems to address avoidable oral health inequalities.

The new projects will use the GULP Sport model, which combines classroom-based learning, physical activity and trusted local delivery through community sports coaches. Designed for Key Stage 2 pupils, the programme includes an assembly, three PSHE-linked sessions and a 21-day GULP Challenge, encouraging children to choose water more often, understand the sugar content of common drinks, and build positive oral hygiene practices.

For commissioners, GULP Sport offers a practical, scalable intervention that aligns with local oral health improvement, healthy weight and Core20PLUS5 priorities. Delivery is supported by HEG through training, resources, project coordination, quality assurance and a built-in evaluation framework. The programme also generates local insight on children’s drink choices and oral hygiene practices, helping partners understand change across schools and communities.

Previous GULP Sport delivery has shown clear shifts in children’s reported preference for water in school, with improvements particularly evident among pupils in more deprived areas. This makes the model especially relevant for local systems seeking targeted, proportionate action on child oral health inequalities.

The Oldham and Cheshire East projects mark the next stage in HEG’s continuing work to support local partners with evidence-based prevention. We look forward to working with schools, councils and community sport organisations to help children develop healthier habits early in life and to build learning that can inform wider local prevention strategies.

For more information about GULP Sport or to discuss commissioning opportunities, contact Health Equalities Group: info@heg.org.uk.