EATING five portions of fruit and vegetables a day was the message when children as young as six learned about eating healthily.

Pupils up to nine years old from Bitterne CE Junior School took part in a new initiative called Activ-eat, hosted by volunteers from Bupa’s Oak Lodge Nursing Home in Southampton.

It aims to make healthy eating fun by letting children taste exotic fruits, make smoothies and play games in a bid to combat obesity. Pupils were also given a pedometer each.

The scheme comes as the Daily Echo continues its Beat the Bulge campaign.

Our campaign was launched earlier this month after a council inquiry revealed that obesity costs Southampton £147m every year, with just over one in four adults classed as dangerously fat.