HUNDREDS of school children from the region pitted their skills against each other in a range of sports at the weekend.

The young people, aged from eight to 16 , competed in a series of area heats in a bid to win a coveted place in the Tyne and Wear Youth Games final.

The event involved ten sports over 22 events at four venues in Gateshead.

Derek Casey, chief executive of Sport England handed over a £114,000 cheque to Tyne and Wear Sport in Gateshead on Saturday.

The cheque, which comes on top of £20,000 given by Sport England to stage the games, marks the start of a seven-year programme during which more than £1.7m would flow into the region.

Mr Casey said: "This £114,000 of Active Sports Lottery Funding will make it easier for young people who enjoy sport to get involved, improve their skills and achieve their best."

To make the award possible, local authorities, sports clubs and Northumbria University have contributed a total of £34,000.