TONIGHT is the night The Northern Echo puts the stars of grass roots sport in the spotlight.

Through our annual Local Heroes Awards, we pay tribute to those who dedicate their lives to sport without expecting financial reward, those who help others to compete, those who work so hard to nurture talent, and those who overcome adversity to achieve special things.

We do it because we believe sport has enormous value. It has a huge impact on the nation's health, and it does more than anything else to divert youngsters away from anti-social behaviour. We should treasure it, protect it and invest in it because the benefits to society are priceless.

It is therefore with sadness that our front page today features a story about the threat to the future of school sport in North Yorkshire.

Head teachers in the county say they can no longer support fixtures and tournaments during the school day because of the cost of supply cover.

Calling an emergency meeting in response, H Martyn Coombs, secretary of the Hambleton & Richmondshire Area Schools Sport Association, said the withdrawal of support by schools "could effectively kill school sport as we know it".

It is an appalling situation because sporting competitions should be regarded as an essential part of school life.

We hope that a way forward can be found because what is unfolding in North Yorkshire flies in the face of everything the Government says it aspires to in terms of public health and tackling anti-social behaviour.