Lancaster kids help launch new-look countywide sports tournament

Taking place at James Hall & Co Ltd’s SPAR Distribution Centre at Bowland View in Preston, 50 children from across Lancashire launched the games in style.

Team GB Paralympian and Panathlon ambassador Nathan Maguire was the special guest speaker at the launch, and showed off the medals which mean the most to him – his Tokyo Olympics silver medal and his Birmingham Commonwealth Games gold medal – with children having an opportunity hold them and have photographs with him and SPAR mascot SPARtan.

The SPAR Lancashire School Games has been rebranded for 2024-25 with an eye-catching new logo, and this was on T-shirts worn by children who launched the games.

Ahead of the event, children across Lancashire were encouraged to think about how a good diet can combine with physical activity for healthier lifestyles. They were challenged to create a healthy recipe to be judged by the store manager at their local SPAR store.

The winner for the Coastal Lancashire cluster was Antony Radev, eight, from Willow Lane Primary School in Lancaster, for his Chicken on The Go creation.

He chose it because it is one of his favourite meals to eat and it was selected as the winner for its Food To Go focus, an important category in SPAR’s offer.

Antony, who was presented with his prize of Buddy Oliver’s cookbook outside SPAR Willow Lane, said: “The recipe is a really good source of protein and the broccoli within it is good for your eyesight. It is definitely something I would choose to eat.”

Run by Active Lancashire and the School Games Organiser Network, the 2023-24 SPAR Lancashire School Games engaged 26,000 children in sport and activities across the county through 27 feature events and competitions.

Last year’s games saw a new blueprint for its future with an increased focus on events being delivered in three distinct clusters in Lancashire – Coastal, Central, and Pennine – better aligned to local needs. After a successful first year, the 2024-25 games will be delivered in the same format.

For more information about the Lancashire School Games, visit the website at www.lancashireschoolgames.co.uk