Flying high for Green Capital

Despite being one of Bristol’s most high profile sportsmen Bristol Flyers captain Greg Streete likes to be incognito but, with his face plastered on posters across the city as a Green Capital ambassador, there is not much chance of that anymore.

“It was surreal,” he said on seeing his Green Capital poster on a bus for the first time. ”My son and my family love it and I’m starting to get more used to it now.

“It’s great for the sport of basketball and for Bristol and, if I can inspire just one person to change their life for the better, then it will be worthwhile.”

Being on a poster may not seem a way of promoting a healthy life but Streete says children “want to know why I’m on a poster and that gives me the opportunity to get in there and sell it to them.”

He meets hundreds of Bristol school children every week teaching basketball and he is committed to spreading the word about being healthy and green. 

“I was a bit daunted at first,” he says, but it’s a cause that has always been close to his heart.

 “I think it’s really important to live a healthy life – all my life I’ve been involved in sport. I’m a father now and I want to make sure we have a clean slate for my son and make sure that things are in place so that he can live a healthy life.” 

Green Capital couldn’t have picked a more inspiring ambassador to promote a healthy lifestyle. “Children ask me what I do for a living and I say I play basketball and they are quite surprised about that. I talk to them how to live a healthy life through sport and nutrition – and that’s what I feel passionate about.”

It’s an enthusiasm that Streete hopes will lure kids away from the computer on out into the parks, but he says children need help to make the right decisions.

“Computer games are fine in moderation – it’s just as much the parent’s responsibility to monitor it as the children. At the same time we have to make them aware that it’s a downward spiral unless we make a stand and change now.”

Streete says having a healthier lifestyle does not need a lot of time or money just enthusiasm and it’s something he’s committed to at home: “I try to play outside with my son everyday – even if it’s just for 10 minutes,” he says. 

While he may look forward to the day his posters are taken down Streete says the legacy of being a Green Capital ambassador will go on: “It’s something I think continue doing especially with my work for young people because I do have quite a lot of influence with them.” 

“If I can give one kid an inspiring word he may remember that for the rest of his life and that’s important and it is a duty for me to do. Even if Green Capital is only a year I’ll continue spreading the message for the rest of my days.”