Aston Hall grounds were packed with mascots and mayhem at the first ever Aston Community Games 2021.

The event showcased numerous sports and wellbeing activities for families and locals to enjoy. Despite a little rain and windy weather more than 600 tickets were sold for the fun day out.

 

Activities included the Aston Villa 'shoot out', Catchball, Badminton, Gardening, Storytelling, Zumba, Arts & Crafts, Health and Wellbeing and Picnics. Organisers at the event included event founder Dennis Kennedy and Aston Villa Football Foundation. Saathi House, who recently encouraged diverse communities to get the vaccine, were also present.

Lord Mayor Muhammad Afzal opened the event with a speech in front of

Aston Hall, encouraging locals to have fun and get pumped up for the Commonwealth Games 2022. This was followed by a singer belting out Etta James's 'At Last' and other classic hits to a rapturous crowd.

Dennis Kennedy, Founder of Inspire Activity Ltd behind the Community Games, was keen for people to enjoy themselves saying: "I heard a while ago that West Midlands had the lowest participation rates in the county for sports. That wasn't good to hear as Aston is as good as any other area.

"So, I wanted to create a 'summer fete' meets 'sports day' event. It's not competitive but you can meet people, have a fun day out, get active and do something you've never done before. It’s very important for people to make friends, get fresh air and be active. It's the taking part that counts."

Chris Timmins, working with AVFC and coaching kids in football at the event, stressed the importance of mental health saying: "We want families and children to be physically active as a daily routine rather than a fad.

"Mental wellbeing is also being pushed not just for our communities but the UK as a whole. The social side of activities is undervalued and lockdown makes you realise how important it is for morale."

Kimberley Biddle, Museum Team Manager at Aston Hall, was thrilled at the turnout, she said: "Aston Hall belongs to the local community. We really want people to feel like they can visit the Hall, this event today was an extraordinary opportunity to do that."

Dennis Kennedy also promised numerous Community Games events in the future across the West Midlands in the run-up to the Commonwealth Games. So, watch this space!