This week sees a whole week of Panathlon finals in Lancashire.
But they’ve already had some big events this year, including some incredible days of bowling.
Luke of secondary school winners Belmont School recently finished as the region’s top scorer with 117 and also got the award for most strikes and spares – and he said afterwards: “I enjoyed the beginning when I started really, really well. I started strong, then dipped a bit, but the best part was the team support. We were all saying, ‘Come on, you’ve got this,’ and it was really nice.”
Andy Clark of delivery partners Active Lancashire says that over the past two years, there has been a big increase in events for young people in the area. They have been working alongside Panathlon event manager Debbie Davies to create a strategy that reaches across the entire region.
“Essentially we just want to create as many opportunities for young people [as we can],” he explains.
And now there are more than 300 schools taking part in events, with hundreds of young leaders ready to support the days.
“We know what the statistics are like and we know what Debbie does. It’s amazing. So it was never going to go backwards – there’s only one way it can go and it’ll, fingers crossed, keep on going in the same direction.”
Retailer SPAR are backing Active Lancashire in the region, and their financial support makes a huge difference.
“Without them, what we’re able to do would be significantly reduced,” says Andy.
“It’s such a fantastic experience for the young people to be a part of – and having SPAR to help us do that has been great.”
