Festival of sport yields three medals for local schools

Paralympian Mel Clarke is pictured with pupils from Warton Nethersoles Primary near Tamworth and Milverton Primary Schools Lucy Green and Shay Beale (orange tops). Picture submitted

The two-day event saw more than 2,000 primary and secondary schoolchildren participate in a variety of sports competitions including athletics, cricket, hockey, archery, tennis and rounders or take part as young leaders supporting the festival.

More than 20 schools in Warwickshire attended the event including Kenilworth School and Sixth Form and St Nicholas C of E Primary School in Kenilworth, Leamington-based the Kingsley School, Milverton Primary School, St Margaret’s C of E Junior School and Clapham Terrace Community Primary School and Round Oak School and Myton School in Warwick.

The festival began with an Olympic-style opening ceremony which included a number of dance and gymnastic performances.

Paralympic archer Mel Clarke, who is also a Sport England Sporting Champion, was also on hand to provide inspiration and interacted with the young athletes throughout the festival.

St Nicholas C of E Primary School were crowned winners of the tennis tournament while Myton School secured second in the secondary school tennis competition and Round Oak School were runners-up in the cricket.

The Sainsbury’s School Games Programme aims to build on the legacy of the 2012 Olympics by giving every child the opportunity to participate in competitive sport.

The Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire County Festival is organised by the Local Organising Committee (LCO), which is made up of representatives from school and community sport, national governing bodies of sport and local authorities, and supported by CSW Sport.

Audrajean Elliott-Davies, partnership development officer at CSW Sport, said: “It’s always fantastic to see young athletes get involved in different sports.

“The county festival allows them to show off their sporting talent in a fun environment and they also get to make new friends along the way.

“We were fortunate once again to have another sporting star attend the festival. Paralympic silver medallist Mel Clarke interacted with the schoolchildren and shared her experiences on how she overcame adversity to succeed at a sport she loved.

“It’s really important that young athletes have positive sporting role models that they can look up to and that inspire them to fulfil their potential.

“The School Games are designed to motivate, enthuse and inspire young people to take part in more competitive sport and I was pleased to see so many young athletes demonstrate the core values of the games including honesty, respect, self-belief, passion and determination.”