Oakbank School Sports Partnership is celebrating scooping a national award at a glittering ceremony.

The Keighley-based body won a Youth Sport Trust national development award for their work supporting competitive sporting opportunities for pupils of all abilities.

The partnership offered many pupils their first taste of competitive sport, as well as giving them the chance to socialise with other pupils from local schools and local clubs.

Steve Bell, Partnership Development Manager for Oakbank School Sport Partnership, said: "It's a fantastic achievement and this Youth Sport Trust development award could not have been won without everybody's hard work, especially the Holy Family school sport co-ordinator and the Ilkley school sport coordinator. It's a true partnership effort."

The members of staff from Oak-bank School Sport Partnership were able to meet double Olympic gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes and Olympic gold medallist Darren Campbell, along with Minister for Children, Schools and Families Kevin Brennan and Youth Sport Trust Chief Executive Steve Grainger, who jointly presented the awards.

Mr Brennan said: "I'm really impressed by the quality of work taking place in schools to get young people to benefit from the power of sport. It's great to be able to pay testament to the teachers and co-ordinators who deliver the activity on the ground through awards such as these."

Kelly Holmes said: "In my role as National School Sport Champion, I'm privileged to go into schools and see the fantastic work taking place to engage young people in PE and school sport so I'm delighted to reward the work of the Oakbank School Sport Partnership, whose efforts really benefit our young people."

The awards, which recognise and reward best practice and achievement in school sport, are one of the highlights of the 2007 School and Sport Partnerships' Conference at the Telford International Centre.

This was organised by the Youth Sport Trust, which is a registered charity.

Mr Grainger said: "School Sport Part-nerships across the country are doing some ground-breaking work to increase participation levels among young people, which is vital as we work towards our target of offering all young people five hours of sport a week. We're proud of the way Oakbank School Sport Partnership are engaging young people to do more sport."

School Sport Partnerships are groups of schools, including primary, secondary and special, which work together to develop PE and sport opportunities for all young people.

The Government's National School Sport Strategy, jointly delivered through the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, aims to increase the numbers of young people taking part in high-quality PE and school sport.

In 2007, 86 per cent of young people were taking part in at least two hours of school sport per week a year ahead of the 85 per cent target.

The Government's long-term ambition is to offer all young people the opportunity to participate in five hours of sport per week, both within the curriculum and outside the school day, by 2012. Oakbank were winners in the inter-school competition category.