Our beginnings
During the 1930s, Great Britain suffered a series of financial and industrial setbacks. Unemployment affected three million people and government finances were so dire that cuts were made to the salaries of many statutory service providers.
The minimum school leaving age was 14 and, except in private education, less than ten percent of children progressed with their education beyond that point. Physical education and sport in schools was of low priority and very often dependent on the goodwill of teachers working voluntarily outside school hours.
Inevitably national morale was low - particularly among young people - and it caused widespread concern, especially for the security of the country, bearing in mind that other European countries were being buoyed by the aggressive development of Nazism, fascism and nationalist fervour.
There was a widespread sentiment that much needed to be done to enhance the physical and psychological fitness of young people in the UK. The first to act on that sentiment was a physical educationalist called Phylis Colson.
She had a vision that:
"Every youngster had a chance to take part in enjoyable and health-giving physical activity and in which all people and associations worked together, pooling their knowledge, experience and resources, helping each other and tackling their problems by joint effort."
Thanks to that foresight and the extraordinary dedication and determination of Miss Colson, the Central Council of Physical Recreation, first named the Central Council of Recreative Physical Training, was established in 1935.
