Friendship First!

NEARLY 200 young Teesside athletes from five different primary schools made new friends while taking part in different sports.

Around 180 children from five Prince Regent Street Trust schools came together at Middlesbrough Sports Village to run, jump, throw, and compete in friendly contests.

The School Games Event, now in its third year, encourages socialisation between the schools by placing children from different schools in mixed teams.

Julia Armstrong, chief executive of the Trust, said: “When we launched this event, we decided we wanted to encourage our children to mix together well, socialise, and make new friends, instead of pitting schools against each other.

“To this end, we divided them up into different teams, all named after local landmarks like Team River Tees, Team Transporter Bridge, and Team Roseberry Topping competing to win the Trust Cup.

“I’m incredibly proud of how all the children approached the event with a sense of ambition, fair play, and respect.”

Events included hurdles, javelin throw – using a safe foam dart – flat races, relay races, and more.

Not only did children receive medals for winning events, but outstanding pupils were also presented with awards for displaying the core values the Trust works to foster – qualities like determination, respect, honesty, and passion.

The event was led by Hartburn Primary School’s PE lead, Mark Whitecross, with support from PE leads across all five Trust schools.

It was also supported by young sports leaders from nearby Macmillan Academy.

He said: “It’s fantastic to see so many young people enjoying competing, trying new things, and making friends.

“I’m very grateful to the Trust for all their support, and to the PE leads from every school for making this event happen.”

The afternoon concluded with a school sports day favourite: a ‘cracking’ classic egg and spoon race.