The 2020 SPAR Lancashire School Games officially opened on 13 February, with a VIP event held at SPAR Partner James Hall & Co.’s distribution centre in Preston, UK, and attended by children from across Lancashire county. Sponsored by James Hall & Co., SPAR wholesaler for the north of England, the SPAR Lancashire School Games promote healthy, active lives. The programme aims to provide the opportunity for children to partake in competitive sports, regardless of their school’s size, area, or financial resources.

The SPAR Lancashire School Games are the county’s largest sporting youth event, engaging approximately 100,000 school children in 2019.

A total of 100 schoolchildren from 14 Lancashire districts joined the launch event, enjoying a tour of James Hall & Co.’s 3,250m2 warehouse, lunch, and SPAR branded goodies bags, alongside special guest and professional boxer, Brian Rose.

“The SPAR Lancashire School Games is a unique programme which was designed around the magic of the 2012 Olympics. It aims to motivate and inspire children to live active, healthy lives”, said Adrian Leather, Chief Executive at Active Lancashire, the strategic lead for Sport and Physical Activity in Lancashire.

“Now the largest youth sporting event in the county, the games provide not only traditional sports such as netball and athletics but also inclusive events such as angling, PAN ability football, and a dedicated disability swimming gala. With the added excitement of Tokyo 2020, it promises to be a very inspirational year for young people and sport”, Adrian Leather added.

“We are thrilled to be in our fourteenth year of sponsorship for the SPAR Lancashire School Games”, said Peter Dodding, Sales and Marketing Director at James Hall & Co. “The ethos of the games fits perfectly with SPAR’s commitment to the sponsorship of British and European Athletics, and we are proud to be able to support Active Lancashire in promoting the importance of good health and physical activity across the county.”

Source: SPAR UK
Read more about SPAR UK.

About SPAR UK

The UK became a member of SPAR in 1956 when a group of independent wholesalers was granted the SPAR licence by SPAR International. There are five regional partners in the UK with strategically placed Distribution Centres in each region. A central office, located in London, provides national marketing and buying services for the group and supports the development of the brand.

SPAR has led the convenience market in the UK for many years but has faced increasing competition. Always innovative, the five regional partners have continued to grow the brand. Throughout the UK, a combination of independently-owned licensed retailers and company-owned stores can be found, spanning forecourts, airports, train stations, city centres, and local neighbourhoods.