More than a thousands school children from schools in Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton came to the Walsall campus of Wolverhampton University to take part in the Black Country School Games.
The event, which is in its 14th years, is an annual opportunity for youngsters from Years one to 10 to compete in a range of different sports, as well as take part in different activity trails and try out new sports like golf, kabaddi and wrestling.
Spread across the campus, there were competitions going on everywhere, from cricket for years five and six at Walsall Cricket Club to dance in the main hall, from dodgeball for years seven and eight in the sports hall amd Handball for years nine and 10 on the outside courts, while multi-skills competitions for years one and two were also taking place, featuring everything from target throwing to shuttle runs.
Set in glorious sunshine, the competition for medals was evident, with teams cheering each other on and celebrating their successes, but there was also a sense of fun and friendship in the air, with areas for dancing and playing alongside the main competition.
Among the schools taking part in the different competitions was Netherton C of E Primary School, with sports coach and pastoral lead Adam Ludlam saying the event would provide memories that would last forever.
He said: “It really is something different for them today and to be involved in this is massive because it’ll be like a football game when they’re older and it’s just something they’ll remember forever.
“It’s also important for them to experience competition like this and, obviously, we want them to try and win because that’s part of life and learning to win is a life skill, but it’s also about just loving the experience.”