Get on board with activities in run up to Northamptonshire's virtual School Sports Day

Northamptonshire will hold a special countywide virtual School Games Day this summer to help give children a goal for staying active during the lockdown.

In a few short months, children from across the county would normally be gearing up for the biggest day in school sports this summer.

Delivered by Northamptonshire Sport, the Summer School Games Finals, held at Moulton College since 2012, would normally have over 1,000 participants and young leaders from primary, secondary and special schools taking part in a number of different sports competitions.

But with the Coronavirus pandemic sweeping the nation and schools remaining closed for the immediate future, this year’s offering will look a little different.

Starting Monday (May 4), Northamptonshire Sport will launch a nine-week activity programmers weekly sports challenges, coaching tips, printable sports puzzles and family problem-solving activities - all which can be completed in the comfort of your own home with little to no sports specific equipment.

The first sport in the line-up is dodgeball, with the first set of challenges launched at 10am on Monday.

To register, visit the Northamptonshire Sport website.And, to celebrate the end of the nine-week programme, Northamptonshire Sport will also be hosting a special countywide virtual School Games Day on July 9.

Run throughout the day, there will be a pre-recorded Opening Ceremony to open the event before families and schools will be invited to take part in a circuit of selected activities from the weekly sports challenges and share their progress.

For the weekly challenges, videos and resources will be uploaded daily via the Northamptonshire Sport

twitter page (@Nsport) and website. Viewers will be encouraged to try out the activities at home and share photos and videos of how they get on with a compilation Skills Showcase shared on a Friday afternoon.

Gary Sheppard, assistant director and children and young people lead, said “The Government has acknowledged how important keeping active is and the Northamptonshire Sport Virtual School Games will offer ongoing opportunities for our community to be active, develop new skills and have fun.

"For those schools that are open for the children of our key workers, we are also supporting a school sports day on July 9 as a way of using sport and physical activity to bring communities together in these challenging times”.