More than 150 primary school pupils from across Caithness have been enjoying a summer of sport thanks to two successful events organised by High Life Highland’s Active Schools team.

Youngsters from schools across the county took part in a World Cup themed football festival and a netball tournament designed to encourage participation, teamwork and healthy competition.

The football festival brought together P6 and P7 pupils at Naver, while the netball competition welcomed pupils from P5 to P7 at Mount Pleasant School.

Together, the events attracted more than 150 participants.

With Scottish FA guidelines preventing competitive trophy football for children under 13, organisers introduced a World Cup format that added a touch of international excitement to the occasion.

Players were randomly assigned countries to represent, creating a colourful tournament atmosphere just days before the start of the real World Cup.

More than 70 youngsters took part in the football festival, with an impressive 104 goals scored throughout the day.

The netball tournament also proved a huge success.

More than 80 pupils took part across A Team and B Team competitions, alongside the Rural Cup, which was contested by Castletown and Halkirk Primary Schools.

The standard of play impressed organisers and spectators alike, with pupils demonstrating the skills they had developed through weeks of after school training.

Miller Academy Primary claimed victory in the A Team competition.

Castletown Primary secured both the B Team title and the Rural Cup.

Schools represented across the two events included Castletown, Halkirk, Reay, Mount Pleasant, Miller Academy and Pennyland.

Active Schools Coordinator for the Thurso cluster, Alyn Gunn, praised the commitment shown by pupils, teachers and volunteers.

He said:

“It was brilliant seeing over 150 youngsters participate in our two events this year.

“The schools have been practising after school for a number of weeks in the build-up to these events, and it was very clear to see that effort reflected in the excellent standard across both events.

“A massive thank you goes to all participating schools, as well as our football referees Bob Gunn, Michael Gray and Stevie Hughes and our netball umpires Emily King, Leelee Chan So, Shona Mackay and Summer Chan So.”

The events highlight the important role school sport continues to play in communities across Caithness, helping young people stay active, build confidence and enjoy the benefits of teamwork while having fun.