NORTH-EAST residents will be given an extra push to get fit with messages from stars.

Some of the region's sporting celebrities, including Jonathan Woodgate, Tanni Grey Thompson, Jonny Wilkinson and Sir Bobby Charlton, have teamed up for a campaign to get people more active.

The scheme is being piloted here for four-months because the North-East has some of the lowest levels of participation in sport in the country.

In a bid to crack down on laziness, the Everyday Sport campaign, managed by Sport England, will send people texts and e-mails providing messages of support from the celebrities, as well as useful sporting facts.

The free messages aim to get people moving more, encouraging recipients to walk their dogs, use stairs instead of lifts or join exercise classes, for example.

Sir Bobby Charlton said: "We all have busy lives, but getting active through Everyday Sport does not have to take up lots of time. Can you cycle or walk into work instead of getting the bus? Or why not start getting off the bus a couple of stops early?"

For a weekly e-mail or text, log on to www. everydaysport.com/mem ory.html, and to find out more about the campaign, go to www. everydaysport.com