It’s Game On as Sport Relief provides plenty of cheer for The Village Prep youngsters

The Village Prep School in Belsize Park celebrated Sport Relief 2020 with a host of events.

Trips to Primrose Hill and Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre, completing themed Sport Relief miles, were followed by a mini Olympics event last Friday.

And a fast and furious staff/parent netball match was refereed by Jo Trip, a member of the Vitality Super League Saracens Mavericks.

Having become a partner chool with Saracens in 2019, The Village Prep also welcomed Del Cole, rugby development manager, to celebrate and he brought along the European Champions Cup trophy for pupils to try and lift and have photographs with.

“It gave them an additional boost for the sporting activities ahead, what a privilege and inspiration,” said head of PE Deborah Street.

“Being a partner school, Saracens have been hugely influential in promoting girls’ rugby at The Village Prep, supporting and enabling our efforts to help year five and six girls compete against other schools when previously we had been refused entry to a Camden tournament for being girls-only.”

At least 34 nationalities are represented in the school’s small and diverse community so was split into teams representing 10 of the participating nations at the Tokyo Olympics, with team colours and an opening ceremony.

All ages at the school made up each team, from three to 11 years old, and 10 different activity stations were set up around the playground, reflecting the range of sports taught at the school.

These included the likes of Soft Ball Shuffle, Shooting Stars, Beanbag Bonanza and Flip Tennis to showcase skills in tennis, netball, football and, of course, rugby, with ‘Give it a Try!’ debuting this year.

The school performed the official Sport Relief 2020 song ‘It’s Game On!’ and teams paraded to national anthems, with staff and parent volunteers helping to manage the activities and keep score.

The winning team (Mexico) had medals presented by Trip, who was hands-on at the Shooting Stars station, encouraging all ages and giving them tips on shooting and defending the ball.

Trip will be running elite Netball camps at The Village Prep School for years three to six over the Easter and Summer holidays this year, which are open to all.

Street added: “In a world that feels a bit doom and gloom right now, having a whole school event that embraces cultures, perseverance, resilience and fun all through sport felt like some much needed tonic. To quote one of our students: ’Sport Relief made me feel alive!’”