MORE than 1,200 youngsters filled Simmons Park and other sporting facilities around the town as the prestigious Devon Games to Inspire took place in Okehampton last weekend.

A free event for teams of young people from eight local authority areas, the festival-like extravaganza attracted youngsters aged eight to 16 to compete against each other and win points for their region.

Sports showcased by the event included athletics, badminton, hockey, netball, and street sports like skateboarding and BMX. As well as utilising the facilities in Simmons Park and at Okehampton College, Okehampton Table Tennis Club and Okehampton Skate Park hosted some of the sports on offer.

Stuart Lord from OCRA, said: 'The day was absolutely brilliant. It really showed off Okehampton in an amazing way, with the town's facilities all looking amazing. Local people and businesses also got involved, which made it a great thing for the whole town.

'With 1,200 youngsters taking part and around 800 spectators we ended up with over 2,000 people in Simmons Park, and it was great.

'The area where people could come and try out different sports was a great element of the day. It went all day and had a real festival spirit and atmosphere, with music and people just having a great time.

'It was a great thing for Okehampton, and just a brilliant, brilliant day.'

The West Devon team finished sixth overall, and got fourth place in the Spirit of the Games award, promoting sporting fair play and spirit. Along the way, the triathlon Year 9 and 10 team claimed gold, there were silvers in football and badminton, and bronze for the gymnastic team and in triathlon for Years 7 and 8.

Matt Evans, chief executive of Active Devon, the organisation which helps more people in the county get active, said: 'It's fantastic to see so many young people taking part and really enjoying themselves. They all come together in a spirit of competition, fair play and friendship and the atmosphere is incredible. It makes you very proud to know that Devon can put on an event as special as this.'

Alongside the events for youngsters, there were plenty of sports laid on for the community, with a penalty-kick speed gun, inflatable hockey pitch, outdoor squash walls and much more on offer to the public.

Okehampton was chosen to host the event last November after months of campaigning and hard work from OCRA. They have been involved with co-ordinating the West Devon team for the event, and organised this year's event in co-ordination with Active Devon.

The games kicked off the twelfth annual Okehampton Sports and Fitness Festival. The festival attracts more than 2,000 people to participate in over 40 different sports and activities, and has a packed-schedule this year.

Many of the sports on offer are taking place at the London 2012 Olympic Games, including fencing, judo, table tennis and water polo.

The festival is running now until the grand finale in Simmons Park on Sunday, July 8.

Tonight (Thursday) sees the return of the rounders tournament, and the 'Super Sporting Sunday' on July 8 sees the return of the hockey, five-a-side football and putting competitions, and the 'Moor than 10K Run'. Full programmes detailing the week's events are available from Martins, Donald's Menswear, Red Lion Bazaar and Okehampton Library or go to http://www.ocrasport.org.uk">www.ocrasport.org.uk or call 01837 54546.

Some events need to be booked in advance.