Panathlon had a wonderful year across England – with 1,044 events across 44 counties, and an incredible 54,033 competitors.
It included a brilliant National Ten-Pin Bowling Final – with Rush Green crowned the first-ever primary national champions.
And it included two National Swimming Finals held at the iconic London Aquatics Centre – with Hempsted winning the Primary Schools title, and Moor House School and College winning the Special Schools event.
We are very proud of the continuing development of our swimming programme, made possible by Pentland Brands extending their support. Last year, we had more than 60 swimming events in England, with more than 2,500 participants and over 700 leaders involved.
It means more and more young people are becoming water-confident – even if they don’t have a pool on site. Indeed, national champions Hempsted don’t have one, but have in the past hired one for a short period so that every single child in the school gets the chance to swim – and the Panathlon squad are able to practise at a nearby school which does have its own facilities, thanks to the help of a parent-governor.
We remain the only provider of Deaf school sport across the north-west of England – with events such as our football day in Liverpool, supported by the Ovingdean Foundation, showcasing just what we can achieve.
It was all supported by young leaders, developing their own skills while helping others – with one telling us that it gives them “real-world experience and a sense of accomplishment”.
And we are always delighted to welcome volunteers from our sponsors and funders – like Inthallo, who came along to our double-header in Westminster, accompanied by Paralympian Daphne Schrager, and St James’s Place, who helped deliver our North-West Primary Panathlon Final.
We also recognised the achievements of young people – such as Marley, the winner of the 2025 Jack Petchey Outstanding Achievement Award – and we continue to be grateful for fundraising efforts such as the golf day courtesy of Woodland Group, and the brilliant folk who ran the London Marathon for us, such as Alex Glencross from Aspen.
