Being Active As A Family
Connect and create memories as a family by being active together
Date: 25 June 2026 Author: Bethany Brown
Though the weather changed the plans, the smiles lived on as children from across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight came to Winchester for a day of fun and physical activity.
On Thursday 25th June, around 250 children aged 8-11 arrived at Winchester Sport and Leisure Park to attend the Hampshire School Games Festival 2026.
Twenty-five schools took part, giving their pupils a chance to try activities they may never have tried before. From traditional sports like karate and swimming to activities that reimagined what being active can look like, such as Drumba, which combines drumming and dance, and Create a Game, where children used different equipment to invent their own physical activity – children embraced every opportunity!
“As long as you’re trying something new it doesn’t matter if you’re not good,” said one young person.
The festival isn’t about competition or being the best. It’s about having fun and creating positive memories of being active that can last a lifetime. For many children, it was their first time trying activities like squash, circus skills or table tennis.
One child said, “I love squash! It was the best. I’ve never done it before. I was really good at it!”
Moments like those are exactly what the festival is here to do.
The day was made possible with the efforts of the Hampshire School Games organisers, alongside the many volunteers who gave their time to support the event, including students from local colleges. Their energy and enthusiasm helped everything run smoothly, despite some last-minute changes.
Because this year’s Hampshire School Games Festival looked a little different…
With an unexpected heatwave settling just days before the festival, we made the decision to scale the event down and move it indoors. It was the first time in the games’ 26 years that the weather had forced such action.
Plenty of icepops, drinks of water, and rests were had to help both the children and the staff stay safe and well throughout the day.
By the end of the festival, children said they had fun, felt proud of themselves and enjoyed trying new things. So we think – despite the heat – that many positive early experiences were had!
Children and young people should be active for at least 60 minutes a day, according to the Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines. But the latest Active Lives data shows that more than half of five to 18-year-olds in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight are not meeting this. Being active has many mental and physical benefits. It is proven to lift mood, help focus, and boost energy to name a few. So, it’s vital that every child can move in a way that suits them.
Children and Young People Officer, Kelly Bailey, who organised this year’s event said, “I am forever inspired by the resilience and determination of the children who took part in the festival.
“They turned up smiling, challenged themselves and left smiling, (and with an ice pop in hand). Because of the heatwave, the festival needed to be different, and I am so proud of everyone who pulled together to give the young people a positive experience of physical activity.”
The Hampshire School Games Festival is funded by the National Lottery and Sport England.
Helping us tackle inactivity to boost health and happiness
