Whilst lockdowns and isolations may have stopped the School Games usual programme of face to face competitive events and festivals, it hasn’t been able to stop the sporting spirit and the physical activity of the Tynedale Schools. The summer lockdown saw face to face events cancelled but the School Games Programme adapted posting daily activities to pupils in school and at home. There were two big school challenges run across the county and the area which encouraged schools and families to compete to build up their schools’ steps and miles and keep active and many schools and parents got involved in this in Tynedale via the Northumberland School Games Facebook page.
A Tyne Valley councillor has called for an open discussion on whether the county s schools should return on Monday. Coun. Anne Dale, who represents Stocksfield and Broomhaugh, was concerned at the high levels of COVID-19 in the Tyne Valley area. In an email sent to council leader Coun. Glen Sanderson and CEO Daljit Lally, Coun. Dale wrote: The statistics for Northumberland show a continued increase in the number of cases especially in the Tynedale area. My ward of Stocksfield, Riding Mill and Mickley all have first schools however the pupils feed into Corbridge Middle, Ovingham Middle and Highfield Middle and then on to Prudhoe and Hexham High Schools.