Teesdale District Council's lead member for health, Keith Stansfield, is in celebratory mood. The latest government health figures revealed that the district has the lowest childhood obesity rate in England.
A major factor in this success, says the independent councillor, is a strong focus on leisure; the council's Teesdale Leisure Centre works closely with schools.
"It's a great centre, and we make sure it is an attractive place for children to come to. You can't improve the health of children without making sure they have good facilities in which to play sport and exercise," he says.
The Department of Health's latest statistics cover a wide range of indicators, and, for the first time, they have been broken down to a local authority level.
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