Over 750 children and young people from across Cumbria will be descending on the Sheepmount Athletics Stadium and Sands Centre in Carlisle to attend the 2023 Cumbria School Games.
After an incredible return to live events in 2022, the 2023 Cumbria School Games is being hosted on 29 June with children from across the county participating.
School teams from years 3 through to 8 will take part in one of a number of sports including golf, dodgeball and orienteering. There will also be multi-skills activities including archery, trail race obstacle course, crossbow, multi-skills challenges, and giant tennis.
The games ensure that physical activity and competition are available to support young peoples’ wider development, including improvements to their physical and mental wellbeing.
The Sheepmount Athletics Stadium will host golf, orienteering and multi-skills with The Sands Centre hosing boccia, kurling and dodgeball.
BBC Radio Cumbria will host an electric opening ceremony at the Sheepmount Athletics Stadium providing a festival atmosphere and warm welcome for everyone involved.
Special guest, former champion pair skater David King will be greeting all the participants as part of the opening ceremony. David, from Carlisle represented Great Britain and is an eight-time British national champion.
In addition to the participants, around 100 young people from across Cumbria have been trained in various roles to lead and officiate at the event. The young leader’s role is to co-ordinate activities and to encourage participation in-line with the School Games Values of determination, teamwork, honesty, respect, passion, self-belief and eco-friendly.
The events are organised by Active Cumbria, the active partnership for Cumbria hosted by Cumberland Council and are delivered in partnership with School Games Organisers, schools, clubs, national governing bodies of sport and local partners.
Active Cumbria Development Officer and Children and Young People Lead (Education), Kirsty Williamson said “The Cumbria School Games County festivals are an opportunity for more children and young people to engage in positive activity to support their physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing and achieve their personal best. We are especially pleased to offer new events designed specifically to include children with SEND. Active Cumbria would like to thank event sponsors The Cumberland for their support.”
Nigel Taylor, Head of Marketing at The Cumberland, said: “We are very pleased to continue our partnership with Active Cumbria and our sponsorship of the Cumbria School Games. We are fully committed to deliver our purpose of Kinder Banking and to support local communities. The Cumbria School Games aligns with our aims of supporting projects which develop the knowledge and understanding, skills, capabilities, and attributes, which young people need for mental, emotional, social, and physical wellbeing now and in the future.”
In support of Active Cumbria’s commitment to ‘Kick out Plastic in Sports’, a national campaign which aims to reduce the amount of single use plastics at major sports events, all children and young people attending the School Games festivals will receive a reusable drinks bottle and water will be provided to top up regularly throughout the day. And where possible, event resources and supplies have been sourced sustainably.