TROWBRIDGE got into the spirit of Rio over the weekend as families came out in their masses to The Mead’s Olympic Carnival.

Over 1,000 descended on the school’s grounds in Hackett Place for the sport-themed event on Saturday which saw three Team GB athletes be a part of an opening ceremony to kick start the day.

Mel Jacob, chair of The Mead Academy Trust, organised the event and said the added bonus of sunshine meant a lot more people attended than they expected.

“It was absolutely wonderful and it exceeded our expectations because the weather was fantastic and it was just the icing on the cake,” she added.

“It really surprised me at how many families attended, not just from our school but all over Trowbridge and even further afield and we were really pleased because the aim of the carnival was to be a community event.”

Across the day, youngsters were able to take part in over 50 activities including a giant skate ramp to a Batak wall as well as having the chance to beat the Chippenham Town FC goalie.

Kids were also able to get a taste of sporting glory with a special Olympic flame which made the rounds.

Mrs Jacob said as a school, The Mead hope that their community events unite local residents and introduce them to something new.

“We put on these events to make sure everyone is having a fabulous time and I had people come up to me and say they were able to experience different sports which they want to take up,” she added. “We wanted to get people to experience things they might not have been able to before whether that is access or not being able to afford it and so to be able to do that is a great achievement.

“The Olympics is more than just sport and it is about participation and coming together which is a key part of being an international environment and that fits in brilliantly with what we are doing.”