CHILDREN with Special Educational Needs from throughout Gloucestershire have been getting into their sporting swing with the support of students from Hartpury College.

Pupils from Alderman Knight, Bettridge, Heart of Forest, Milestone, Paternoster and Ruardean Schools took part in a Tri-Golf fun day tournament at Hartpury College, which was the climax to four weeks of coaching with the individual schools.

Hartpury linked up with partners, Gloucestershire County Golf, to ensure a fun-packed morning was delivered for the enthusiastic youngsters.

The event, which has been run for primary aged pupils with Special Education Needs (SEN) from Gloucestershire schools for the last five years, was generously sponsored by Pied Piper, the county’s leading children’s charity.

Gloucestershire County Golf Development Officer, Debbie Casling, said: “It’s fantastic to see the event continuing to grow, with six schools taking part this year. The students at Hartpury always step up to the mark in making the day a success and this year was no different.”

Tri-Golf is a ‘mini’ version of golf for primary school pupils, which involves the use of adapted equipment and a variety of games designed to provide an enjoyable introduction to the sport.

With Hartpury students helping to deliver various chipping and putting challenges, each school performed brilliantly and received a trophy and certificate at the end of the event.

Paul Johnson, Sport Lecturer at Hartpury, was particularly proud of his student’s efforts throughout the event. He said: “I was delighted to see our young coaches take this opportunity to develop their coaching skills further and I was extremely impressed by their attitude, professionalism and enthusiasm throughout the event.”

Alderman Knight School teacher, Sarah Preece, said: “The Hartpury students worked brilliantly with the kids who, at times, can be fairly challenging to work with. Our pupils’ behavior was faultless throughout the day and they responded superbly to a challenging but fun day for them. The event was superbly organised."

Kobe Adams, a Hartpury College Sports student on the golf programme, said: “Golf sometimes doesn’t get much exposure to younger children when compared to other sports so it was great to see so many of them enjoying themselves playing the sport.”