The pupils, who are aged between 13 and 18, launched activities including girls-only gym, football, and rugby sessions as part of a Brighton Youth Council project.

The aim of the initiative is to motivate their peers to stay active during their teenage years.

Teenage girls often face barriers to participating in sport as they age, including body image concerns and a lack of confidence in male-dominated environments.

“Active Champions” were selected as volunteers through a Brighton Youth Council project and began designing activities based on what teenagers in the city wanted.

They ran their own focus groups and then worked with Brighton and Hove City Council’s Healthy Lifestyles Team (HLT) to create activities suited to the needs of girls.

Evie, 15, one of the Active Champions, said: “I got involved in this project to help other girls find a love for sports.

“I think this project is great for encouraging young people to be active, and personally I’ve really benefitted from getting to meet other people and get involved in sports I hadn’t tried before.”

The 2023 Brighton and Hove Safe and Well at School Survey (SAWSS) shows that only 15 per cent of secondary school-aged girls reported engaging in an hour of physical activity daily over the preceding week, compared with 27 per cent of boys.

Within primary schools, the figures stand at 22 per cent for girls and 34 per cent for boys.

Councillor Mitchie Alexander, cabinet member for communities, equalities, public health, and adult social care, said: “These girls-only fitness sessions are a brilliant example of what happens when we listen to young people and let them lead the way.

“By creating safe, supportive spaces designed by girls, for girls, we’re tackling the real barriers that too often push them out of sport – such as body confidence and fear of judgment.”

The initiative consists of girls-only gym sessions, including weightlifting and circuit training, at the FMG Project, 24 Kensington Street every Friday from 6pm to 7pm, running until July 4.

You can sign up for updates and more information here.

There will also be tag rugby on the 3G sports pitches at Withdean Sports Complex, every Wednesday from 4.30pm to 5.15pm, running until July 2.

There will be football sessions at the same sports pitches on the same day, from 5.15pm to 6pm, running until July 2.

All sessions will be staffed with female instructors, with a focus on fun, fitness, and feeling good, rather than competition or appearance.