NEARLY 700 children poured into the Burgate School for the third Mini Olympics and Commonwealth Games event on Monday.

All of the cluster schools around Fordingbridge – Hale, Hyde, Breamore, Fordingbridge and Western Downland – competed, fielding 48 teams in seven activities, including agility races, throwing and jumping.

The winning team in the infants was Western Down-land and the junior winners, in a particularly close contest, were Breamore.

Fifty children were awarded prizes based on the Olympic values of courage, determination, respect, friendship and inspiration.

Pupils from Fordingbridge Junior School played the national anthem at the opening ceremony and at the end there was a closing ceremony and presentation by town mayor Malcolm Connolly.

There were relay races at the end, won by Hale and Fordingbridge Juniors, and a staff relay race with a massive field of nine teams was won by Fordingbridge Junior staff.

School sports co-ordinator Fay Ritchie said: “The kids absolutely loved that, especially when one of their teachers fell over.

“It’s become a bit of an annual get-together. The thing that really stood out for me was the lovely community atmosphere, especially when all the children from all the schools spontaneously did the Macarena when someone managed to find a copy of the music.

“And we had about 60 Burgate volunteers, who were brilliant as always.”