This is Nottingham --
THE country's top young rowers took to the water in Nottingham for the UK's largest junior regatta.
More than 5,000 athletes from over 160 schools took part in the National Schools Regatta, held at the National Water Sports Centre at Holme Pierrepont.
Thousands of spectators lined the banks of the 2km regatta lake to watch the racing across three days of competition, with the event concluding yesterday.
Olivia Duckworth, 17, of Wollaton, entered the girls' double sculls on Saturday and the girls' pair yesterday with Nottingham Rowing Club teammate Mollie Zalas.
Olivia, who attends Rushcliffe School's sixth form in West Bridgford, said: "People were cheering us on from around the halfway mark and it just got louder and louder towards the finish.
"It's been a great experience and really fun."
The former Fernwood School student took up rowing three years ago and also competed in the championships in the past two years.
She added: "I hope to still be rowing at university."
Mollie, also 17, of Grantham, said: "I'm really excited that we got to compete against crews from all over the country. There were a lot of crews here that have had GB trials this year."
George Hammond, chairman of the event's organising committee, said that while bad weather meant some racing was abandoned on Friday, conditions were perfect over the weekend.
He said: "The attendance has been huge and the standard was pretty good.
"We had records broken by some of the top schools. The standard of the girls has also gone up enormously, on the back of success by female British rowers at the Olympics last year."
A host of other events also took part across the city and county as people made the most of the bank holiday weekend sunshine.
They included a grass volleyball event hosted by Nottingham's two universities at Wollaton Park yesterday.
The Go Spike Big Weekend saw people offered the chance to try the sport for free.
Meanwhile, the final day of an art and creative textile exhibition and sale at the Ruddington Framework Knitters Museum will take place today.
The free exhibition also ran over the weekend, celebrating painting and textile art from around the region by both amateur and professional artists. Reported by This is 10 hours ago.
THE country's top young rowers took to the water in Nottingham for the UK's largest junior regatta.
More than 5,000 athletes from over 160 schools took part in the National Schools Regatta, held at the National Water Sports Centre at Holme Pierrepont.
Thousands of spectators lined the banks of the 2km regatta lake to watch the racing across three days of competition, with the event concluding yesterday.
Olivia Duckworth, 17, of Wollaton, entered the girls' double sculls on Saturday and the girls' pair yesterday with Nottingham Rowing Club teammate Mollie Zalas.
Olivia, who attends Rushcliffe School's sixth form in West Bridgford, said: "People were cheering us on from around the halfway mark and it just got louder and louder towards the finish.
"It's been a great experience and really fun."
The former Fernwood School student took up rowing three years ago and also competed in the championships in the past two years.
She added: "I hope to still be rowing at university."
Mollie, also 17, of Grantham, said: "I'm really excited that we got to compete against crews from all over the country. There were a lot of crews here that have had GB trials this year."
George Hammond, chairman of the event's organising committee, said that while bad weather meant some racing was abandoned on Friday, conditions were perfect over the weekend.
He said: "The attendance has been huge and the standard was pretty good.
"We had records broken by some of the top schools. The standard of the girls has also gone up enormously, on the back of success by female British rowers at the Olympics last year."
A host of other events also took part across the city and county as people made the most of the bank holiday weekend sunshine.
They included a grass volleyball event hosted by Nottingham's two universities at Wollaton Park yesterday.
The Go Spike Big Weekend saw people offered the chance to try the sport for free.
Meanwhile, the final day of an art and creative textile exhibition and sale at the Ruddington Framework Knitters Museum will take place today.
The free exhibition also ran over the weekend, celebrating painting and textile art from around the region by both amateur and professional artists. Reported by This is 10 hours ago.