Over 700 young athletes from across Herefordshire attended a major school-sport event in Hereford.

On Tuesday, October 8th, 708 pupils attended the largest ever Herefordshire Values Festival, held at Halo Hereford Leisure Centre.

The games saw 31 schools across the county in attendance, supported by 96 young leaders from six local high schools and sixth forms.

Organised by Active Herefordshire and Worcestershire and Stride Active, and made possible with National Lottery and Sport England funding, the event brought children from schools across Herefordshire together to compete for 18 Values Awards.

The Values Festival is centred around the five key behaviours, qualities, and inter-personal skills of a good sports person. These values are respect, teamwork, passion, self-belief and determination.

The School Games programme in Herefordshire enables young people to take part in mostly participatory physical activity and sport events, and some competitive events.

The programme offers a wide variety of activities and sports, from tennis, golf, sports hall athletics and multi skills, to inclusive bowling, dodgeball, and team building.

Stephen Brewster, Chief Executive Officer at Active Herefordshire and Worcestershire said: "The Herefordshire Values Games are a fantastic opportunity for children and young people who may not be engaged in sport and physical activity, to try something new in a safe and fun environment.

"A love for sport and physical activity can be sparked from a young age, and positive experiences like this event can open doors and make lasting memories.

"A lot of hard work goes into making the event happen, and I am delighted that we have been able to create something special once more for children and young people across the county."

Since 2012, Active Herefordshire and Worcestershire have organised School Games events across the two counties, inspiring young people to be physically active for life through positive experiences at a young age.

Stride Active, our delivery partners for the Herefordshire School Games programme, is a community interest company, working to raise the profile of PE, school sport and physical activity in schools across Herefordshire.

For more information about the School Games and how to get involved, visit the website here or contact Sarah Millward at 's.milward@worc.ac.uk'.