Sir William Robertson Academy, Welbourn, hosts virtual sports day to keep morale high

A secondary school has hosted its first virtual sports day in a bid to boost morale as the government continues to loosen sporting restrictions during lockdown.

Students and staff at Sir William Robertson Academy, Welbourn, were still able to take part in their annual sports day this year, despite coronavirus restrictions.

The PE department took their end of year event online, setting all students and staff the challenge to complete as many miles as they could in a two-week period.

Sticking to tradition, the school’s virtual sports day was an inter-house competition.

Students were tasked with clocking up as many miles as possible, in any way they preferred.

Many took to the bike or put their trainers on for a run, while some enjoyed walking their pets or exploring countryside on foot, and others were more adventurous taking to horse riding and open-water swimming.

For those more comfortable with staying at home, laps around the garden, using the staircase or even the Wii Fit computer game provided ways of getting involved.

Over the course of two weeks, 85 students and 28 members of staff took part, and the total number of completed miles stood at 5260.3, which is the equivalent of travelling as the crow flies from the academy to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

Dragoon house were victorious with 1,173.64 miles. Stand out performances from students included Elizabeth Wynn-Jones (492.97 miles) Joshua Hemmings (364.01 miles) Finley Bass (270.96 miles) Leo Bass (142.68 miles) Riley Pryce (114.23 miles) Zephyr Hillyer (111.84 miles) Bodhi Hillyer (111.84 miles) and Kian Picker (105.75 miles).

PE teacher, Miss Graves, said: “It has been fantastic to see so many students and members of staff getting involved and representing their house.

“The house system is very competitive at SWRA and we didn’t want students to miss the opportunity of sports day.

“As usual, the students have adapted so well to the new circumstances and shown their creativity and resilience with this challenge.

“It is so important that we stay active and healthy whilst at home, and this challenge has inspired many students and staff alike to do so”.

Great Britain triathlete Olivia Mathias, from Newark, sent a personalised message to students and staff, congratulating them on their efforts and hard work during lockdown.

She said: “Congratulations to all of you that took part in the inter-house competition.

“I hope you all keep going and keep positive during lockdown.”