NEARLY 1,400 people from across the county took part in the Worcestershire Summer Games last week.
The event was held at Bromsgrove School on July 3 and was hosted by Active Herefordshire and Worcestershire and local School Games Organisers, with funding from the National Lottery and Sport England.
As well as the 1,259 young athletes, aged between four and 16, there was also 121 young leaders and volunteers from 71 schools.
Participants competed for the titles of Worcestershire Spring School Games Champion in seven different sports and 14 competitions, with activities on offer such as Aqua Splash, dodgeball, boccia, tri golf, rounders, tennis skills and dance.
Participants were also encouraged to try a range of activities at the event’s Central School Games Village, where 11 activities were held for pupils to try and learn new skills, from cycling on a smoothie bike to circus skills and functional fitness.
Stephen Brewster, chief executive officer at Active Herefordshire and Worcestershire, said: “We understand the importance of creating positive experiences for our young people to ensure a lifelong habit of physical activity.
“The Worcestershire Summer Games are truly a spectacle, and a wonderful opportunity for young people across the county to try new forms of physical activity in a fun setting.
“To be able to bring an event of this scale to the county is incredibly rewarding, so I would like to thank everyone involved for making this year’s event a huge success.”
AJB Sports in Education returned as the participant sponsor after introducing new values awards, celebrating the six core values of the games – self-belief, passion, determination, teamwork, honesty and respect – at last year’s event.
AJB Sports in Education is a Worcestershire-based organisation offering school sports, wrap- around care, the physically active school programme Active Minds and school CPD, focusing on primary schools and pre-schools, through the AJB Fundamentals programme.
The organisation also offers sports holiday camps, birthday parties and girls’ football through the Worcestershire FA.
The seven awards were awarded to primary school teams who best exhibited the School Games values in their sports.
The winners were: Chadsgrove School for showing great determination, Finstall First School for having strong self-belief, Birchensale Middle School and Hanley Swan Primary School for their fantastic all-round sporting behaviour,
Vale of Evesham School and Droitwich Spa High School received awards for their passion and finally St Mary’s CofE Primary School for their outstanding teamwork
Since 2012, Active Herefordshire and Worcestershire has organised School Games events across the two counties, inspiring young people to be physically active for life through positive experiences at a young age. Visit the website at activehw.co.uk/worcestershire-school-games or contact Sarah Millward at [email protected] or Vicky Laflin at [email protected] for the full results.