Nineteen years strong… Active Lancashire and SPAR renew School Games partnership

Active Lancashire and SPAR will continue in partnership with the Lancashire School Games for a 19th year.

The announcement for 2024-25 comes as a Girls Active event was held at Roefield Leisure Centre in Clitheroe where 150 children from Pennine Lancashire schools engaged in an afternoon of activities.

Orienteering, glow dodgeball, cardio tennis, spinning sessions, gym workouts, and yoga were all on the agenda, providing children with a variety of skills development opportunities.

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 – ensuring schoolchildren enjoy a programme of activity better aligned to local needs.

The 2023-24 Games engaged 26,000 children in sport and activities across Lancashire through 27 feature events and competitions, and after a successful first year, the 2024-25 Games will be delivered in the same format.

The Lancashire School Games are run by Active Lancashire and the School Games Organiser Network and have been sponsored by SPAR through its association with James Hall & Co. Ltd since 2006.

Jane Johnson, School Games Organiser for Hyndburn and the Ribble Valley, said: “At the start of every new academic year we look forward to the exciting calendar of School Games events, and the 2024-25 programme is no exception.

“All of the School Games Organisers are re-energised after the summer break, and we are keen to see how this year’s cohort of children across Lancashire grow and develop personally through the activities that they take part in.”

Andy Clark, Schools Partnerships Officer at Active Lancashire, said: “It is fantastic to have SPAR on board as sponsors of the Lancashire School Games once again through James Hall & Co. Ltd, continuing our successful and long-standing partnership.

“Through the reformatted Games in 2023-24, and a more localised agenda delivered in three cluster areas, we managed to engage even more children in activity and challenge across Lancashire. We could not have achieved that without SPAR’s support, and it is great that we have that platform to build on for the 2024-25 Games.”

Philippa Harrington, Marketing Manager at James Hall & Co. Ltd, said: “We are very pleased to continue in our partnership with Active Lancashire. It has been nineteen years, and it feels like forever that SPAR has been associated with the Lancashire School Games.

“Last year was the first in a new era for the SPAR Lancashire School Games with the change in model delivering more impact and a trio of finale events to enjoy. Year in and year out we see the value of SPAR’s sponsorship, and we look forward to another year of supporting physical activity and developing the life skills of young people living in communities across Lancashire.”

For more information about the Lancashire School Games, please visit the website at: www.activelancashire.org.uk/projects/spar-lancashire-school-games.