Children and young people from Barnet’s largest housing estate had a chance to emulate their Olympic sprint heroes during street races at a special sports festival.

London Olympic Taekwando bronze medallist Lutalo Muhammad was the guest of the honour at the Urban Gamez on Friday 31 August. The event featured 60m sprints down The Concourse – the main street at the Grahame Park Estate in Colindale – along with dancing, music and entertainment.

The games were organised by Barnet Homes, which manages the majority of the estate, together with Barnet Council and the youth empowerment organisation Nutmeg. They were also supported by Community Games, which has been encouraging celebrations of the Olympics and Paralympics across the UK.

Lutalo said: “I go to Middlesex University so the Urban Gamez here are a wonderful opportunity to be in tune with the local community, see what’s going on, get to do some fun activities with the children and hopefully inspire them to get into sport themselves.

“So much wonderful work has been done here today and sport is a great avenue for young people. It’s very important that we have sport activities in our local communities, so young people have an activity and an outlet for their energy. It can also give them goals and ambitions in life.”

Over 130 young people took part in the races on the day. But it wasn’t only young people who got involved. Mary Sampaney of Bluebell Court said:” I used to run when I was young in Ghana, so I really want to have a go today. It’s nice that Barnet Homes has organised this and encouraged us to keep fit – it keeps me young at 64!”

The day also saw the official opening of a new ball park at the estate by the Deputy Mayor of Barnet, Cllr Kate Salinger. The park, which caters for basketball and a range of other ball sports, was funded by the Wright Trust with the support of Barnet Homes.

Barnet Homes Chief Executive, Tracey Lees, said: “We’re determined to do all we can to contribute to the London Olympic legacy, and there couldn’t be a better time to encourage children and young people on our estates to get into sport.

“They’ve just watched Bradley Wiggins win the Tour de France and Olympic gold. He grew up on a council estate just a few miles away in Kilburn – so if he can do it, so can they.

“We want to tap into that enthusiasm as we encourage children and young people to get into exercise and fulfil their potential. The Urban Gamez and the new ball park at Grahame Park are just part of that commitment.