By Aroosa Ahmed
More than twenty schools in Birmingham participated in the Legacy Celebration, a sports festival working towards breaking down access barriers to sports and physical activities. The event was hosted at the legendary Alexander Stadium by Sport Birmingham, a leading sport charity organisation which aims to provide young people in Birmingham with excellent physical education and school sport that will encourage them to lead healthy lifestyles through long-term participation.
By offering a wide variety of activities, many children were able to explore sports they had never tried before. This programme aimed to ignite a lasting passion for physical exercise and highlight the advantages of maintaining an active life.
What is the ‘Legacy celebration’?
Legacy celebration is part of the National School Games, which is a government led programme that was created to inspire young people to be physically active for life. The school games aim to tackle inequality by increasing participation of schools from the most undeserved communities and improving the physical literacy of young people through positive experiences. The games try connecting communities and ensuring young people can access appropriate local activities.
Significant moment
This event marked the first time that the Birmingham School Games held an inclusive school sports event at a prestigious venue like the Alexander Stadium, where so many schools participated and the day was fill with excitement, joy, and inclusion. GB team captain, Tom Mitchell, joined the fun and festivities of the day. Tom spoke of his inspiring journey as part of the path to Paris initiative, the official youth engagement programme from Team GB and Paralympics GB.
Inclusivity for all children
Many SEN children were included in the event which reinforces the positive message of inclusivity. The legacy celebration provided a platform to boost the city’s offerings to children with Special Needs Education (SEN). Sport Birmingham is committed to improving understanding and opportunities for people with SEN. The CEO of Sport Birmingham hopes to create a legacy of inclusivity and active living for all children in Birmingham.