Alderney competes for first time at Guernsey's largest ever Youth Games

ITV Channel's Serena Sandhu reports on all the weekend's action....

Children from Alderney have been able to compete in Guernsey's Youth Games for the first time.

More than 700 young people enjoyed a day of competitive fun on Saturday (20 May) as the island celebrated its 10th year of hosting the event.

There were some new sports on offer too, including stand-up paddleboarding, gymnastics and boxing.

Each competitor represented one of six different teams named after six of the islands competing in this summer’s NatWest International Island Games, and the winning team was St Helena.

Coaches believe paddleboarding also teaches children life skills in the water. Credit: ITV Channel

Alan Jenner from the Guernsey Sports Commission helped to coach those involved in the paddleboard racing in the run-up to the big day.

He said: 'It's the first time that we've ever had junior racing in Guernsey so I've been with these guys teaching them for few weeks about racing.

"It's fun but a bit of competition too."

Wendy Wilson, headteacher at St Anne's School in Alderney, said she was delighted that the island's children could enjoy the day with those in Guernsey.

Children from Alderney say they don't usually have access to this level and variety of sport on the island. Credit: ITV Channel

She said: "It's really nice for our children to have the same opportunities as children in Guernsey but also from a healthy lifestyle perspective to provide them with opportunities to get involved in sports they normally wouldn't get access to on the island of Alderney."

It is also the first year that skateboarding has been a part of the games, and coach Tim Gaudion hopes it will inspire young islanders to take up the sport permanently.

He said: "You can have someone really good skating alongside someone who has just started out and they are all having a good time.

"Having an influx of people through the Youth Games has been amazing and its really good to see they will continue to come up on Saturdays."

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