Children enjoy a day packed with activities at the Fylde Rugby Club Community Foundation reading challenge

Fylde Rugby Community Foundation welcomed 170 pupils from seven local primary schools to its latest Rugby Reading Champions Festival, celebrating literacy, creativity and learning through the power of rugby.

The festival held at Fylde Rugby Club’s clubhouse in Ansdell brought together the children from Newton Bluecoat CE Primary School, Weeton St Michael’s Primary School, Weeton Barracks Primary School, Holy Family Catholic Primary School, Medlar-with-Wesham Church of England Primary School, Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Primary School and St John Vianney’s Catholic Primary School for a day packed with engaging and educational activities.

Throughout the day, the youngsters took part in a variety of interactive workshops hosted across the rooms at the club, each designed to encourage creativity, communication, confidence and a love of learning.

A major highlight of the festival was the BAE Systems STEM Trailer, which gave children the opportunity to explore the exciting world of science, technology, engineering and mathematics through hands-on activities and interactive demonstrations.

The trailer is designed to inspire young minds, introduce real-world applications of STEM subjects and encourage pupils to think creatively about future careers and opportunities.

The children also had the opportunity to work with local author David Brayley, who shared insights into the writing process and inspired pupils to explore their own creativity through storytelling.

Creative writing sessions were delivered by Peter Brookes, encouraging children to develop their imagination, communication skills and confidence in expressing their ideas through the written word.

Paul Earnshaw, Head of Communications at BAE Systems, said: “It was fantastic to see so many children engaging with the activities on our STEM Trailer, asking questions and exploring new ideas.

“Working alongside Fylde Rugby Community Foundation through the Rugby Reading Champions programme allows us to support learning in a fun, interactive way, and we’re proud to play a part in helping children build confidence, curiosity and aspirations for the future.”

Ben Turner, Programme Lead at Fylde Rugby Community Foundation, said: “It was brilliant to see 170 children from across the Fylde coast come together, engage with the activities and embrace the opportunities available throughout the day.

“The enthusiasm shown by the pupils was incredible, and events like this demonstrate how powerful learning can be when it’s delivered in an engaging and interactive way.”