LEEK TWINNING COMMITTEE
Leek proves to be a good sport
I
t may not have been the World
Cup but it was certainly a
clash of international sporting
brawn as Leek’s twin town of
Este in Italy hosted a very wet
but
successful
Eurofest
tournament.
63 people from Leek
travelled out to Italy to take part
in the event at the beginning of
October. The group included an
Under 17 football squad and a
number of musicians and
dancers from Leek High School
- marking their first visit back to
Este in three years. For the
football team their first match
was a decisive 6-0 win against a
local team but the visitors were
on the back foot in their second
match outside town. The
stronger Italian side managed to
keep a clean sheet and win 4-0.
Paul Watts, head of sport at Leek
High, was still pleased with their
performance however, he said:
“The boys did themselves proud,
they performed brilliantly,
conducted
themselves
professionally and were a credit
to the school and the community
of Leek.
“Educational visits like this
not only provide the students
with new sporting challenges but
allow them to also experience
social and cultural differences.”
Team captain Tommy Coates
added:
“The
players’
commitment was exceptional.
The players’ motivation and
sense of fair play was in evidence
throughout.”
Meanwhile the 6th Form
musicians and dancers from
Leek High performed in the
22 Leek Life November/December 2013
festival's main square, luckily
under cover during torrential
rain, on both the Saturday and
Sunday nights of their visit. They
shared the evening concerts with
a group from Este and provided
top entertainment. Leek High's
head of music, Katie Raisbeck,
said: “Taking part in a
performance is always a great
and valuable experience, but
performing on the Continent
was even more exciting. The
students overcame language
barriers and flexible Italian
timings with the professionalism
which I have come to expect."
Trips such as this provide
invaluable opportunities for
students to develop socially and
morally, it gives them the chance
to meet new friends, practise
new languages and visit famous