MORE than 350 children performed in a gymnastics festival at Spennymoor Leisure Centre, which brought together children from 26 schools in the Spennymoor, Tudhoe, Woodham and Sedgefield areas.

Children aged five to 16 featured, as well as demonstrations from the South Durham Gymnastics Club, where some young members including Hayley Robson, from Spennymoor, have won international recognitiion.

Since September the club has worked with Sedgefield school sport co-ordinators assessing 1,200 five, six and seven-year-olds in 24 schools through the British Gymnastics World Class Start programme.

Many of the children have now joined the club or enrolled at a group set up by the partnership at Sedgefield Community College