Fusion has invested £15,000 in installing a Sportwall at Elephant & Castle Leisure Centre in London.

The Sportwall consists of 8ftx4ft panels which light up and make noises when triggered. They come pre-programmed with more than 30 games which involve children extinguishing the lights by throwing, kicking or hitting objects at the wall.

Yvette Nevrkla, healthy lifestyles manager for Fusion, said: “When trying to encourage children to exercise, we are competing against Playstations, TVs, and DVDs, so what we offer needs to be appealing and entertaining.

“The Sportwall is an extremely innovative piece of equipment that will help change children’s perception about exercise and encourage them to get off the couch and into the sport hall.”

Relays, shuttle runs and obstacles can also be incorporated into the games.

A spokesperson for Fusion said: “In addition to getting children physically fitter, the Sportwall significantly improves hand-eye co-ordination, balance, agility, focus and concentration.

“When children play games on an individual basis, they are encouraged to work harder to beat their best score, while team games reward co-operation and teamwork and help children to bond with their peers.

“The wide variety of light and sound programs are also compatible with coaching mainstream sports such as softball, netball, tennis, football, and cricket.

“Fusion has trained its staff to take the sessions, which incorporate ready-made lesson plans for Key Stages 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the national PE curriculum.”

Fusion is currently developing a programme of sessions where leisure centre members can drop off their children for Sportwall activity classes or get involved with adult and child sessions.