The Village Prep School had a fabulous day when they celebrated Sport Relief 2020 with a host of events for both pupils and parents.
The girls made trips to Primrose Hill and Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre, completing themed Sport Relief miles, which were followed by a mini Olympics event at School. There was also a fast and furious staff/parent netball match which was refereed by Jo Trip, a member of the Vitality Super League Saracens Mavericks.
Having become a partner school with Saracens in 2019, the school also welcomed Del Cole, rugby development manager, who brought along the enormous European Champions Cup trophy for pupils to attempt lifting as well as having photographs.
Head of PE Deborah Street said: “It gave the girls an additional boost for the sporting activities ahead, what a privilege and inspiration. Being a partner school, Saracens have been hugely influential in promoting girls’ rugby here, 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 The Village Prep at least 34 nationalities are represented within its small and diverse community. Girls were 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 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 Jo 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.
Deborah 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!”
