MORE than a thousand schoolchildren from across the district descended on Hanson Academy today for the 2017 Bradford Winter Schools Games.

The primary, secondary, and special school students competed in a number of different sports, each gunning to be crowned the Bradford champion and to secure a place at the West Yorkshire finals next month.

Ahead of the day’s sport, an opening ceremony was held in the sports hall of Hanson, with a number of special guests stopping by to speak to and inspire the children.

Officially opening the ceremony was former Bradford Bulls and Great Britain captain Jamie Peacock MBE, who spoke to the gathered children to inspire them ahead of the competition.

The Lord Mayor of Bradford Councillor Geoff Reid was also at the Games, watching the children compete and speaking to competitors.

Former Bradford City player and co-founder of the One in a Million charity Wayne Jacobs was also at the event, along with Billy Bantam the Bradford City mascot, who posed for photos with the children.

Councillor Sarah Ferriby, executive member for sport, was also at the Games.

Richard Woods, headteacher at Hanson Academy, said as a PE teacher by trade he was proud to welcome the Games to his school.

He said: “The Games are fantastic and a great opportunity for local students.

“They are not just about competition, as only some can be winners, but about taking part, playing against new people and overcoming challenges.

“The table tennis and the indoor athletics were frantic, and to have boccia here as well was fantastic.

“The Games have been great for Hanson to use our facilities and let other schools use them, and for our students who acted as ambassadors and officials in the Games.”

Jamie Peacock, who played more than 200 games for the Bulls during their most successful era, said it was fantastic to see sport places so highly on the curriculum.

He said: “Sport is so important because it teahcers you about teamwork and working together to achieve a goal, which is what you need to do in life.

“It also promotes effort and enthusiasm, they can take you a long way in life.

“Sport is also enjoyable and that’s why we play it.

“I spoke to the children about team work and not blaming each other when something goes wrong but to support and praise each other, and also about effort and enthusiasm.

“I also think it’s important that the children learn how to win respectfully and lose respectfully.”

The Lord Mayor, Cllr Geoff Reid, said that when he first walked into the sports hall at the start of the day the “wall of noise” that greeted him was “wonderful”, and praised the focus on health and lifestyle,

He said: “It’s a great encouragement to see a hall full of active youngsters.

“Having people like Wayne Jacobs and Jamie Peacock here is great, all these youngsters know them, and it is a great event in our calendar.”

The Lord Mayor was particularly keen on watching table tennis, netball and basketball, admitting he was looking forward to seeing people “who know what they are doing” after he was coaxed into a game of netball two weeks ago.

Children competed in a variety of sports throughout the day.

In Hanson, table tennis, indoor athletics and boccia competitions were staged.

Next door at Pulse Health and Fitness, teams took part in netball, basketball and quick-sticks hockey, while at the nearby Goals Soccer Centre, footballers competed to be named the best school in the city.

The Bradford Winter Schools Games are the culmination of localised events which took place earlier this year, with thousands of children and hundreds of schools around the district taking part.

The winners of the Bradford Games will be chosen to represent the district at the West Yorkshire finals where they will compete against other children from around the county.

The West Yorkshire finals will take place at Leeds Beckett University on Saturday, March 25.

The Games are part of the National School Games Programme, which aims to motivate and inspire millions of young people across the country to take part in more competitive school sport.

The Games were supported by Bradford City, Bradford Bulls Foundation, Bradford Dragons, Bradford Rebels, Bradford Hockey Club, Sports Hall Associates, Table Tennis England and Jamie Oliver’s Ministry of Food.