A Nelson school marked International Women’s Day (Friday March 8) with a running challenge which focussed on inspirational women in sport.

To celebrate women’s achievements in sport and encourage girls to get active, all girls from Years 7 to 11 at Marsden Heights Community College collectively raced 40 kilometres, running in teams to make up the distance.

This was to tie into this year’s 40th anniversary of the formation of Women in Sport and 40 years since women were first allowed to run the marathon in the Olympics.

A Year 11 student said: “I really liked this morning because it was amazing to see women gather together.”

Lancashire Telegraph:

The event was held as part of PARIS 2024, an initiative being run by United Learning, the Group Marsden Heights is part of, to promote sport and active lifestyles ahead of the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer.

Over the coming months, schools across the group will be hosting a range of events and encouraging their students to take part, ensuring a lasting legacy of engagement in physical activity.

Another student added: “I felt empowered. It was amazing to feel like I was a part of something.

"I felt supported by everyone who was there, both those taking part in the run as well as those who were just watching.”

Alyson Littlewood, headteacher at Marsden Heights Community College, said: “With this International Women’s Day sports event, we wanted to build upon our ongoing mission to inspire more girls to get active and experience the benefits of sport, both physically and mentally.

"Showing our students that sport is for all is so important to us at Marsden Heights and this event was a true celebration of the joy that it brings to our lives.

“In the coming months and years, we very much look forward to continuing our work to inspire students to take up sport and to rolling out more exciting events which highlight the positive impacts physical activity has on all of us.”