Around 75 aspiring athletes, coaches and volunteers from Chester-le-Street and District, Leeds City and Wigan Harriers athletics clubs attended the European Athletics Championships last week in Birmingham after winning tickets through Spar’s Go to the Games competition.
Run by James Hall & Co. Ltd, Spar Go to the Games sought the nomination of unsung heroes by athletics clubs to win a day out at the Birmingham spectacle on the day Team GB star Keely Hodkginson began the defence of her 800m European Athletics gold medal won in Rome in 2024.
The event was the first time it’s been held in the UK and all winners received a bag of branded goodies celebrating Spar’s 30 years as principal partner of the event. Travel costs were also covered for all four groups by Spar to facilitate a special day out.
A class from St Pius X Catholic Preparatory School in Preston also joined the clubs on the day. Pupil Ibrahim Musa, age nine, won tickets for his school mates by designing the 20 Year celebration SPAR Lancashire School Games logo with the winning design chosen by Keely.
Vicki Burns, from Chester-le-Street and District Athletics Club, said: “We were absolutely thrilled when we heard the news we’d won tickets. Our coaches and volunteers are the heartbeat of our club, so being able to share this experience with them as well as our athletes means more than words can express. It felt like we had won a gold medal.”
Philippa Harrington, marketing manager at James Hall & Co. Ltd, added: “It was an absolute pleasure to host all our winners at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham on behalf of Spar in the milestone thirtieth year of partnership.
“I’m so pleased to hear such a wonderful time was had by all who attended. When we launched our respective competitions, we wanted to inspire the next generation that it could be them competing on the track in future years, and it sounds like we’ve achieved that.”
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