Appeal to save ‘Mini Olympics’ in Sussex

With less than a week remaining, the event organisers are putting out a plea to local businesses and individuals to save them after original transport plans fell through.

Marketing manager, Geraldine Bloomfield said: “In this Olympic year, this has the potential to be the biggest and best ever School Games, and will really get the 2012 fire lit in advance of the arrival of the Torch and the beginning of the official training camps that are locating themselves in the region.

“These children will have worked towards this event for the whole year and for them to be jeopardised this close to the opening is tragic.

“We’re really hoping that there is someone out there, or a local business, who can step up to the plate and come to the rescue.

As a trust, it is unfortunately impossible for us to fund this ourselves, and like all grassroots sport, we’re reliant to a great extent on the goodwill of others.”

Active Sussex, the not-for-profit organisation behind the School Games, requires a total of four coaches to take children to the Games: Two from the Brighton & Hove area; one from the Mid-Sussex region; and another from Rye.

The 2012 Sussex School Games forms a key part of the London 2012 Olympics’ mission to deliver a meaningful sporting legacy that reaches families and young people across the region.

The Games, which combines East Sussex, West Sussex, and Brighton & Hove, will feature the very best of the best from school sport across 13 disciplines and aims to be a celebration of sport and culture in Sussex.

The Sussex School Games are due to be held at K2 Crawley, Thomas Bennett Community College, and Broadfield Football Stadium, on Tuesday July 3.

Those who can help should email Craig Peters at [email protected] or ring 08448263131.