Games Inspire Devon's Young Athletes
12 Jul 2010
Over 2000 people flocked to sunny Tavistock on Saturday to take park in the Devon Games to Inspire 2010. Children and families from school communities have gathered to participate in the finals of this cross-County sports festival.
A total of 1600 children, have competed in heats over the last four months in a range of sports, in a bid to win team and individual medals in Saturday’s final which was won by West Devon. Sports included football, tag rugby, ultimate frisbee, cricket, street sports and much more. The Games, which is the largest junior sporting event in Devon, aims to promote the links between culture and sport in the run up to the London 2012 Games.
Image by Pinnacle Photography
Presenting the medals was local Olympic athlete Heather Fell (British Modern Pentathlete) whose appearance at the Games inspired many of the young competitors. Heather said “Devon Games to Inspire is a great opportunity for the local children to try out some different and more unusual activities. It also gives the more competitive a chance to shine in their chosen sports. But most importantly it is giving the children chance to make new friends and have fun through sport."
As well as the sporting events, spectators and competitors alike had the opportunity to take part in a whole host of activities. In the spirit of the London 2012 Games, the Games are about more than sporting excellence and seek to enhance young people’s learning through cultural activities as well. Visitors were able to participate in activities such as circus workshops and aerobics sessions. There were also performances from some fantastic local bands such as The Gruffnuts and dance performances from each local authority.
Leanne Dingle, Project Director for RELAYS explains, ‘This is the second year that RELAYS has been involved in the Games and it gets better every year. It has been a fantastic day for all the children participating, the volunteers who give up their time to help stage an event like this and the families who have come along to support. RELAYS is about inspiring young people to get involved in things that they would not normally have the opportunity to do and, just maybe, create a legacy of participation that last throughout their lives. If today has been the start of something special for some of the young people here, then I hope that the Games will continue to go from strength to strength.’
The Devon Games to Inspire, which is the largest junior sporting event in Devon has been running for over ten years and is supported by RELAYS (Regional Educational Legacy for Art and Youth Sport), Team Devon, the Devon Economic Partnership, Mansbridge and Balment, NPS Group, RM Builders and local authorities from across the county and has been organised this year by West Devon Borough Council. The event has been supported by 20 student volunteers working through RELAYS from the University of Plymouth.