Rebrand for SPAR Lancashire School Games launched

Fifty children attended the celebratory launch of the SPAR Lancashire School Games which has been rebranded for 2024-25.

Team GB Paralympian and panathlon ambassador Nathan Maguire was the special guest speaker at the launch, held at James Hall & Co's SPAR distribution centre, and he impressed and inspired those present in equal measure with his life and career story.

He also brought in with him 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.

The games has a new primary logo in the form of a shield for 2024-25 and beyond, replacing the old athlete outline in Union flag colours that has been used since 2006.

On the new look design, the SPAR brand sits proudly at the top, with playful lettering adopting Active Lancashire’s brand colours spelling out Lancashire School Games underneath.

Lancashire’s iconic red rose rounds off the new identity piece with a subtle placing at the bottom of the logo. A secondary logo and SPAR mascot character have also been created for additional branding opportunities and for occasions when the primary logo is not suitable.

Children who attended the launch wore the new logo on Lancashire School Games T-shirts, where they also met SPAR mascot SPARtan, had a tour of the warehouse and food production facilities, and enjoyed a free SPAR lunch.

In the week leading up to the launch, children attending 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.

Winners were Isla Coope, age 11, from St Teresa’s Primary School in Penwortham, Dylan Gibson, age 11, from Brunshaw Primary School in Burnley, and Antony Radev, age 8, from Willow Lane Primary School in Lancaster.

Active Lancashire and SPAR, through its association with James Hall & Co, are continuing in partnership with the Lancashire School Games for a 19th year.

Niels Dekkers, marketing and IT director at James Hall & Co, said: “We are very pleased to launch the SPAR Lancashire School Games again and it was a privilege to welcome Nathan Maguire to our depot as special guest to support the big day.

“We are also delighted with the outcome of the rebrand exercise. The new logo is clean, fresh and modern, and there is a nod to Lancashire with the red rose. It still has the target audience in mind while promoting a sense of achievement through its shield design.”

Adrian Leather, chief executive of Active Lancashire, said: “Each year the SPAR Lancashire School Games evolves, and I’m excited that our team at Active Lancashire and the School Games Organisers have a platform to build on after a brilliant first year of our new localised delivery model.

“It is doubly exciting that the games now has new branding for 2024-25 to modernise its look and feel and reflect its more inclusive approach to sport.

"It is a fun logo, and the wording protruding through the edge of the shield I think mirrors the impact of the Games on children who push through boundaries during the activities they partake in across the academic year.”

Nathan Maguire said: “It was fantastic to be able to tell my story to a group of engaged children and give them words of encouragement that they can achieve whatever they want to in life and overcome whatever hurdles that life brings up along the way.

“I would like to thank Active Lancashire for the chance to speak, and James Hall & Co for hosting me and for the chance to tour the amazing warehouse and facilities. It was an honour to support the launch of the games out of the starting blocks for 2024-25, especially with its standout new branding which looks superb.”

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.

James Hall & Co is a fifth-generation family business which serves a network of independent SPAR retailers and company-owned SPAR stores across Northern England six days a week from its base at Bowland View in Preston.

For more information about James Hall & Co. Ltd, please visit www.jameshall.co.uk.