SCHOOLCHILDREN from Ynys Môn will have the opportunity to build friendships with fellow pupils from Gibraltar before the NatWest International Island Games next summer.

More than 100 coaches and officials from the region will join 23 other teams for the games in July, and the Ynys Môn Island Games Association has been making friends over the water prior to the showcase.

As part of a school engagement project, coaches from Ynys Môn worked with a number of local schools on the island, and visited a number of schools in Gibraltar to deliver practical sport sessions and to give a background to life on the island and the benefits of the games throughout history.

Ynys Môn Island Games officials Tom Rogers, Emma Rogers and Barry Edwards, as well as athletes Eve Goddard-Smith and Gwenan Williams visited Gibraltar this week to take part in the school-twinning project.

Mr Rogers, said: “The visit is part of a timetable of planned activities arranged with schools leading up to next year’s event. The NatWest International Island Games is a fantastic opportunity for islands across the world to come together and develop lasting friendships and unforgettable experiences.

“It’s important that we make the most of this fantastic opportunity and ensure school pupils benefit as well as the competing athletes.”

Caergeiliog Foundation School, Ysgol Cybi, Ysgol Gynradd Llanfairpwll and Ysgol Y Graig were the schools from the region that were invited to take part in the initiative, with Bishop Fitzgerald Middle School, St Anne’s Middle School, St Bernard’s Middle School and Loreto Convent joining from Gibraltar.