Youngsters gathered at the Ridlins track for the annual Stevenage Primary Schools Athletics Festival. Around 300 took to the athletics arena in a variety of events including javelin, long jump and high jump. Sports leaders from every Stevenage secondary

Youngsters gathered at the Ridlins track for the annual Stevenage Primary Schools' Athletics Festival.

Around 300 took to the athletics arena in a variety of events including javelin, long jump and high jump.

Sports leaders from every Stevenage secondary school were available to ensure the smooth running of the event with members of Stevenage and North Herts AC providing an opportunity to have a go at the demonstration event of shot putt.

Town mayor Michael Patston was available in between the showers to present the winning teams with their trophies.

The winning Grand Prix school was Giles Junior, with St Margaret Clitherow winning the small school competition.

Events winners

(girls and boys)

100m: S Rassaq 14.93secs (Almond Hill); E Roberts 13.03secs (Martinswood).

600m: S Keeble 2.01mins (Giles Junior); O Smith 1.56mins (Giles Junior).

Long jump: N Gardener 4.25m (Camps Hill); E Kemp 1.05m (Almond Hill).

High jump: E Kemp 1.05m (Almond Hill); J Roche Gerrard 1.15m (Giles Junior).

Rounders ball (in line with county primary schools): A Radford 36.65m (St Margaret Clitherow).

Cricket ball (in line with county primary schools): S Cook 51.60m (Longmeadow).

Javelin: A Perkins 12.80m (Featherstone Wood); D Light 16.70m (Camps Hill).

* Schools throughout the country are revving up for the launch of the first ever National School Sports Week next week (Monday to Friday, June 30-July 4).

The week is designed to celebrate all that has been achieved in PE and school sport over the last year.

The Stevenage School Sports Partnership has lined up a week of town-wide events including an exciting new venture, a Year Nine girls' multi-sports event to launch the week on Monday, a striking and fielding festival for Years Three and Four, assemblies in schools, a partnership celebration afternoon for the grown-ups and many more family festivals and intra-school competitions.

The national champion for the whole initiative is Dame Kelly Holmes.

She said: "National School Sports Week gives us all the opportunity to celebrate all the exciting PE and school sport taking place around the country. I want you to take part, be the best you can be and have fun."

* The partnership and local clubs have joined together under the banner of Coach Stevenage to deliver a holiday programme called Stevenage Sporting Links.

This is part of a bigger programme which will involve many of the local clubs and all of the schools in the autumn term, providing a varied programme of activities and sports delivered by local community sports coaches and sports leaders, within both the schools and at the clubs.

Jill Eaton, partnership development manager, said: "Stevenage Sporting Links will hopefully become a familiar name among all our young people, with its aim being to increase participation in sport and activity among our youngsters."

Further information can be attained on 01438 314537.

* Marriotts Sports College offered all the primary schools in Stevenage an opportunity to bring classes along with their teachers over the summer term to the gymnastics centre.

They could have a gymnastics lesson run by the community gymnastics coach Tracey Royle.

The challenge of teaching 1,000 children became a target and Caoimhe Captain, a Year Six pupil from St Vincent de Paul, was the 1,000th child.

This was mainly down to the school sports co-ordinators (SSCo's) linked with the primary school who were able to minibus the children to and from their schools.