The event was held as part of an on-going collaboration between the School Sport Partnership (SSP) and Withernsea High School, where a dedicated School Sport Coordinator attached to the SSP is based.

Comprising a network of schools across the county, the East Yorkshire SSP appoints School Sport Coordinators to cover clusters of primary schools for the purpose of developing and delivering inter-school competitions as part of a programme of varied and inclusive sporting experiences.

Last week’s event saw pupils engage in a carousel of ten different activities including tennis, golf, rugby, karate and cricket. These sessions were led by representatives from local clubs and organisations who volunteered their time to help promote the wide range of opportunities that are available. 

Overseeing the event was School Sports Coordinator and Children and Young People's Physical Activity Coordinator for Active Withernsea, Nick Richmond, who said: “The Primary Sports festival was a great opportunity for Year 5 pupils to come together at the end of the year to celebrate sport and experience a taste of the many different activities that are on offer in Withernsea and the surrounding area.

“It is testament to the relationships built in the community, through the work of the SSP and Active Withernsea over the last eighteen months, that so many sports club leaders and representatives volunteered their time to help promote the variety of opportunities for sport and physical activity that exist locally.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank them, our primary school partners, and our team of student ambassadors and Sport Leaders, for helping to make the event such a success.”  

As part of Withernsea High School’s Board for Change, a student-led group comprising representatives from each year group, and ambassadors from sub-groups focussing on Health, Careers, Active Travel and Sport, fourteen dedicated Sports Ambassadors have been appointed to support various short-term projects and long-term initiatives. These include helping to organise and run both SSP and school sporting events, alongside the continuing promotion of physical activity to their peers and members of the community.

Meanwhile, following its successful launch last September, over thirty Year 10 students successfully applied for, and subsequently completed, a Level 2 Sports/Community Leadership course. This additional qualification has equipped students with the skills required to lead basic physical activities to different age groups. A number of these leaders put their new-found skills to good use by working alongside the Board for Change Sports Ambassadors to help deliver the event.  

Nick Richmond added: “The support from our ambassadors and sports leaders has been invaluable. They are a credit to both themselves and to the school. We are incredibly proud of the excellent work they have achieved this academic year and we look forward to this work continuing from September as we prepare for our next intake of Sports Leaders.” 

ABOVE: Using rules and a scoring system based on those in a standard game of golf, Disc Golf involves players throwing a disc at set targets. The session was delivered by Withernsea-based ‘JLT Disc Golf’. 

ABOVE: Withernsea Karate provide high quality Karate training for ages 7 and upwards. Year 5 pupils were eager to learn the basics and are seen queuing up to participate. 

ABOVE: Following a successful year of community engagement, through sessions delivered at Withernsea High School, Hull FC returned as one of ten providers at the festival to introduce the sport to primary school pupils. 

ABOVE: The East Riding Road Safety team were on-hand to teach participants about safe cycling.