CHILDREN in Inverness got a chance to be top of the badminton class, when the Bank of Scotland Play Badminton Carnivals visited the Inverness Aquadome on Saturday 14 June.

The Badminton Carnival in Inverness was part of an event called Girls on the Go 2008, organised by Girlguiding Inverness-shire, offering brownies and girl guides the chance to take part in a number of different sports.

There are six carnivals held throughout the year, offering children the opportunity to try their hand at badminton. The Inverness carnival was the latest instalment of a series which will culminate in the Play Badminton Carnivals held in conjunction with the Bank of Scotland International Championships at Glasgow's Kelvin Hall in November, where over 3000 children from all over Scotland receive expert tuition from some of Scotlandís best coaches.

The Carnival was led by Scottish International badminton player and BADMINTONscotland Coaching Development Officer David Forbes. David also delivered at this event when it was held 2 years ago and such was the response from the children involved, he has been asked to return again.

During the course of the day David delivered 3 sessions to over 150 brownies aged between 7-10 years old, comprising a number of different activities including "Beat the Coach", "Round the World", "Relay Races" and "Target Hitting" some involving more badminton specific skills than others. Pupils also had the opportunity to win some prizes along the way competing in the "Fitness Challenge" and "Bouncing Challenge".

Regardless of whether or not pupils have ever played Badminton before everyone involved received the opportunity to improve their skills, learn new ones and of course, most importantly, have fun.

David said "This is a great chance for children to come along and try the game. The initial aim was to make it fun and exciting for the children to make sure they got the most out of their day and enjoy their experience with us. Hopefully it will result in a lot of these kids continuing their interest in badminton and joining local clubs."

Karen Tighe, Deputy Head of Sponsorship for Bank of Scotland, said "We are delighted that the hugely successful Bank of Scotland Play Badminton Carnivals continue to provide young people all over Scotland with the opportunity to get involved in sport.  It is also very exciting that the Carnivals are an integral part of such a worthwhile event as Girls on the Go 2008."

For further information contact BADMINTONscotland on 0141 445 1218 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it