Blackpool Zoo Orienteering Festival a fitting finale for SPAR Lancashire School Games

Schools from Lancaster, Heysham, Blackpool, Wyre, and the Fylde Coast took part in the event which saw children develop a range of skills as they navigated their way around the zoo to the different animal enclosures.
Children also had the chance to take part in feeding times across the day as well as enjoy informative sessions on animal behaviours, characteristics and respective status in the wild.
Dave Rohman, Blackpool School Games Organiser, said: “We hosted our finale slightly differently this year with a new location and we have had some superb feedback from our Blackpool Zoo event.
“Children have said that they had never been to the zoo before as their parents could not afford it, and that they had never experienced seeing such awesome animals close up.
“Likewise, comments from teachers have been incredibly positive saying how special the event has been for their children as this kind of opportunity is out of reach for so many of them.”
SPAR, through its association with James Hall & Co. Ltd, renewed its sponsorship of the Lancashire School Games for an 18th consecutive year at the beginning of the 2023-24 academic year, continuing a successful partnership with Active Lancashire.
This academic year also saw the SPAR Lancashire School Games reformatted with an increased focus on running events and competitions in three distinct clusters in Lancashire – Coastal, Central, and Pennine – ensuring schoolchildren enjoy a programme of activity better aligned to local needs.
Over the course of 18 years, SPAR has invested more than £250,000 into the Lancashire School Games, and in 2023-24 the Games engaged 26,000 children in sport and activities across Lancashire.
Niels Dekkers, Retail Development Director at James Hall & Co. Ltd, said: “It is fantastic seeing schoolchildren enjoy physical activity at the Blackpool Zoo Orienteering Festival, as well as building important life skills such as communication, teamwork, and problem solving.
“I would like to congratulate Active Lancashire and the School Games Organiser Network on delivering another successful year of impactful games, competitions and activities. It has been another Games that we have been proud to sponsor with the SPAR brand as we have done since 2006.”
Andy Clark, Schools Partnership Officer at Active Lancashire, said: “It really does bring home what the SPAR Lancashire School Games are all about when you so many young people at the summer finale enjoying physical activity while learning at the same time.
“Our cluster model of delivery this year has enabled us to reach even more children this year, especially those who do not regularly take part in physical activity. Our thanks go to SPAR and James Hall & Co. Ltd for their continued sponsorship and the efforts of our amazing School Games Organiser Network, without whom none of this would be achievable.”
For more information about the Lancashire School Games, please visit the website at: www.lancashireschoolgames.co.uk