Children from local schools took part in a day of activities and healthy competition designed to deliver the sporting legacy promised by London 2012, inspired by Olympic hockey champion Helen Richardson-Walsh. Just over 800 youngsters descended on Westway Sports & Fitness Centre on Friday 15th September to participate in the day, which was organised by Fit For Sport and Everyone Active.
During the day the children enjoyed the top-class sports facilities at the leisure centre which is operated by Everyone Active in partnership with Westway Trust.
After a motivational mass warm-up with Helen Richardson-Walsh and TV presenter Rebecca Charlton, who was compering the day, the youngsters divided into smaller groups to enjoy a variety of sports, activities and team building challenges to inspire them to lead a healthy lifestyle.
After lunch there were a few competitive sprint races for those who wanted to compete and an inter-school relay. The day ended with a closing ceremony where medals were handed out by Olympic athlete Helen Richardson-Walsh and TV presenter Rebecca Charlton.
A key objective of the Legacy Games initiative is to give children aged 7-11 the opportunity to engage with new activities and sports. The emphasis is on participation and fun, with children of all abilities feeling able to take part.
“We were delighted to be able to provide a day of fun filled activity for so many children in our borough,” says Everyone Active Contract Manager Alison Norman. “It was fantastic to have both Helen Richardson-Walsh and Rebecca Charlton join us for the day, the children had a fantastic time and it was great to see them all so inspired. Some schools were unable to hold sports days this summer following the Grenfell tragedy so we were especially pleased to be able to give them their own sport-filled day.”
“Westway Sports & Fitness is home to an incredible range of activities and it’s great to be able to give school children an opportunity to try some out,” says Stephen Wren, Westway Trust Director of Sport and Leisure. “As a charity one of our aims is to get more people more active more often, particularly by reaching out to those groups that might not visit a leisure centre regularly.”