World champion Pennie backing Travel to Tokyo programme to blaze a canoeing trail

Having been inspired to take to the water as a toddler, canoeing star Fiona Pennie has now backed a Team GB and ParalympicsGB campaign to inspire the next generation of sporting talent. 

Pennie, a two-time Olympian, first sat in a boat when she was just a few months old and started slalom canoeing when she was nine.

And she went on to embark on a thrilling career with a paddle in hand, soaring to a hat-trick of European Championship triumphs and being crowned a world team champion in 2019.

Now, Pennie wants to inspire the next generation of children to get involved in sport and believes Get Set's innovative Travel to Tokyo challenge can get the nation moving.

Created with funding from Sport England and Spirit of 2012, the fun-filled virtual challenge has engaged over 1.5 million participants across the UK and empowers young people and their families to get active and create healthy habits alongside their classmates - and celebrate their progress online as one school team.

Every physical activity can be logged online and Pennie, speaking at an event where Travel to Tokyo partnered with British Canoeing's Go Paddling month, hopes the innovative initiative can blaze a trail.

Travel to Tokyo partnered with Go Paddling month to deliver a series of Go Paddling events and Pennie, 38, said: “To see kids doing sport out on the water, canoeing and kayaking, is so good to see.

"It's my sport and I just love the fun and different aspects of it - to be good at the slalom and the mental, physical and technical parts of it. 

"I think the Travel to Tokyo campaign is great to get kids into activities and get their families pulled in - jump off the sofa, jump around, run around the park, whatever they want to do. It's just really good to get them moving!" 

Pennie visited Leaside Trust Canoe Club in Hackney to encourage the children and families from St Marys and St Pancras CofE Primary School, Camden, to get active and help raise awareness about the benefits of canoeing.

Go Paddling month encourages kids across the nation to pick up a paddle for the first time and introduces canoeing as a fun and engaging sport for children and their families.

And, Chris Dunning, a teacher at the school, said: “The kids have been really into Travel to Tokyo and it's really culminated today along with the canoeing. 

"I think especially in the last year and a half, the children really haven't been able to be as active so to give them this opportunity to do something outside and log their minutes has been encouraging them so much. 

"I think the Olympics and Paralympics will only inspire them more! Just a massive thanks to the association - we're very grateful to have events like this on to inspire the children." 

Year six student Ejaz Khan, 11, added: “I'm really looking forward to watching the Olympics and the Paralympics because it shows people coming together and supporting the nation. 

"Today was so fun because it gave me an experience that I'd never had before.  

"My favourite bit of the Travel to Tokyo event today was how we all got to experience something new as a class." 

Discover the free school and family activities at getset.co.uk/travel-tokyo Stay updated with the latest news on Twitter @GetSetCommunity and @GetSetClub on Instagram and follow the journey using #TTTYourway.