Ridgewood make a splash at SPAR games

Over 170 children from primary and secondary schools across Lancashire met at Lancaster’s Salt Ayre Leisure Centre to battle it out for glory, with almost 300 people in attendance overall.

Pupils from Our Lady’s Catholic College in Lancaster got the gala off to a rousing start with a special dance performance, before competitors took to the water.

The young leaders also helped coordinate the event, along with students from Lancaster and Morecambe College, who took up the roles of School Games Makers.

The district triumphed to take home a medley of silverware, including four gold and two bronze medals.

Team Burnley were helped to success by Ridgewood Community High School, which won four competitions, taking gold in the 25m KS3 and KS4 boys’ front crawl, 25m KS4 boys’ back stroke and 50m KS4 boys front crawl events. Bronze medals were secured in the 25m KS4 boys’ front crawl and 25m KS3 boys’ back stroke events.

The Lancashire Lion, the school games mascot, was on hand to cheer on pupils alongside Jon Barry, Mayor of Lancaster, Suzanne Lodge, deputy chief executive of Lancaster City Council and Anthony Barton, operations and HR director at James Hall & Company Ltd.

The gala marks the first of two SPAR Lancashire School Games county finals events, which are part of the national £128m school games programme and sponsored by James Hall & Company Ltd, the SPAR distributors for the North of England.

Organised by the Lancashire Sport Partnership and implemented by the county’s school games organisers, the competition is now in its 10th year. An anticipated 2,400 youngsters are expected to participate in the second county finals at Blackpool’s Stanley Park on July 5th, where they’ll compete in sports including tennis, rounders and athletics to be crowned county champions.

Helen Tyson, school games organiser for Burnley said: “This year’s disability swim gala was bigger and better than ever before, with fantastic displays in the pool and great sporting spirit on show.

“Well done to everyone, competitors, volunteers and helpers, and those who cheered on from the pool.”