AN Oxfordshire woman who helps get young children into swimming went to the home of democracy to deliver a report on how to tackle childhood obesity.

Tamsin Brewis worked with an all-party parliamentary group to create a report on how to deal with rising levels of obesity.

Last month she went to Parliament to deliver the report to MPs and representatives from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Mrs Brewis has run a water babies class in Banbury for 13 years and is an advocate for the development of children through exercise.

The report suggests that physical activity in the younger years is the key to tackling the crisis.

The mum-of-two from Banbury said: “It’s so important that children are given the opportunity to exercise and have fun at the same time.

"Nowadays, children are more inclined to pick up a smartphone than get outside with their friends.

"Weekly, structured classes are a great way to keep your child active and swimming, especially from a young age, is an incredible developmental tool.

"This report goes a long way to highlight the issues this country is facing when it comes to childhood obesity and as a real advocate of new-born and infant health, I’m very proud to have been included in this process.”

NHS figures released at the end of last month showed that one-in-three children in Oxfordshire were obese or overweight by the time they left primary school at the age of 11.

Tom Berry, head of business development at Oxford charity Healthy Eating and Nutrition for the Really Young (HENRY), told the Oxford Mail that education was vital in tackling childhood obesity.

He said: "It's the early years of life that are really critical.

"Of the children who are obese when they enter Reception, only one in 20 return to a healthy weight by the end of primary school.

"It's very difficult to reverse if overweight and obese people aren't living a healthy lifestyle by age 11."