Table tennis star Amy Blagbrough ready for School Games

The Aldworth School pupil will be one of 1,600 athletes taking part in this prestigious multi-sport event for school-age athletes, representing England South West.

In total, 12 sports, seven of which include disability disciplines, will be contested at the four-day spectacular, which is supported by National Lottery funding from Sport England and delivered by the Youth Sport Trust.

Blagbrough will be following in the footsteps of some of Britain’s biggest sporting stars including Paralympic champions Hannah Cockroft, Ellie Simmonds and Jonnie Peacock, world-record breaking swimmer Adam Peaty and heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson.

The 15-year-old will experience the excitement of competing at the highest level. She will also live in the athletes’ village, attend the opening and closing ceremonies and perform in front of a crowd of thousands at world class sports facilities in Manchester.

Blagbrough said: ”I am proud to have been selected for the Sainsbury’s School Games and I am looking forward to taking part in what has become an important event in the sporting calendar.

“I want to play to the best of my ability and win as many games as I can, but I also want to enjoy it and get involved in all aspects of the event.”

Alongside the competing athletes, 400 young volunteers will bring the Sainsbury’s 2015 School Games to life.

Young reporters will be among the journalists reporting the action and many of the officials and coaches will also be young people.

Sport England Director of Community Sport Mike Diaper said: “The Sainsbury’s School Games is a fantastic event, launching the careers of some of our brightest sporting stars.

“This event is an amazing opportunity for our next generation of aspiring athletes to compete against one another in a fun environment while also experiencing what it’s like to be part of a major multi-sport event.”