SPORT has been sweeping the district as part of a nationwide campaign designed to encourage more kids to get active and take up new activities.

A host of fun events have been ongoing across Inverclyde for the last seven days as part of National School Sport Week - a sponsored programme run by Bank of Scotland in partnership with SportScotland.

More than 70 per cent of local schools took part as Inverclyde showed its support to sport.

The first of many events kicked off last week at Lady Octavia Sports Centre in Greenock, where pupils from All Saints and Overton primaries took part in a bumper sports day packed full of events.

Kids sampled some Olympic events and learned about the values of the games - meeting the key aims of the organisers and Bank of Scotland, which is sponsoring the London 2012 showpiece.

Youngsters of all ages sampled a variety of sports - from basketball to javelin, track events to football and tennis to hockey.

And there were more than a few talented budding sports stars on show as they relished the opportunity to try something new.

Other schools in the area also got in on the act - with many still taking part in their own events over the coming days.

Teachers arranged sports programmes with the help of the Inverclyde active schools/sports development team.

Gillian Bond, Inverclyde active schools/sports development manager, said: "We wanted as many schools involved as possible and about 75 per cent participated, which is really good." That particpation figure smashed the 60 per cent target rate set by the organisers, with more sessions lined up before the summer break starts.

Key players behind the initiative say the campaign is 'vital' to encourage more interest and participation in sport but also to help generate maximum lasting impact from the interest around this summer's London Olympic Games.

Gillian told the Tele: "This all links to the Olympics in London, to create a legacy for sport and physical activity."