HASLEMERE MP Jeremy Hunt has highlighted the importance of sport and outdoor activities for young people during a speech at the recent Conservative Party Conference. Mr Hunt told The Herald he had seen for himself in South West Surrey, the difference sport makes to people's lives, through visits to organisations such as Haslemere Sub Aqua Club, Farnham Rugby Club, Godalming Leisure Centre and the new Easy2Swim pool in Hindhead, and he drew on those experiences in his speech to the Conservative Party Conference in Blackpool last week. Mr Hunt – who is also the Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport – told this year's conference: "Sport matters. It teaches you about teamwork. It teaches you about winning and losing. It teaches you that you can't be good at everything. But that everyone can be good at something." In a speech to the main conference hall, Mr Hunt pointed out if children cannot take risks in schools they may get involved with gangs so they can take their risks outside the school grounds. He pledged to look at how legislation could be changed to protect teachers and volunteers from needless civil negligence claims and whether health and safety rules should be changed to recognise the importance of activities teaching children about risk. He said: "Winning and losing, taking risks, coping with setbacks – these are the ways to create a society that helps everyone, no matter what their background, to shine, to achieve, to make the most of their talents and opportunities." During the conference Mr Hunt also spoke at five fringe meetings covering a range of subjects, including the value of the arts, social mobility and ownership and regulation of the news.
