Hundreds of youngsters from Waltham Forest did the borough proud at Europe’s largest annual youth sports event at the weekend.

Competing at the Balfour Beatty London Youth Games finals at Crystal Palace, Waltham Forest won bronze medals in the male and female volleyball and the female football on Saturday, July 4 and Sunday, July 5.

Both volleyball teams put up determined efforts against defending champions Wandsworth in the semi-finals but were unable to get the better of their opposition.

Female volleyball team manager Janet Carne said: “The girls are coming away very disappointed because they were hoping to do better but unfortunately we played against the strongest team who were the eventual winners.

"But on the positive side, for all of them, it’s their first final so to get third was tremendous. I think once they go away from here they will realise what they have actually achieved.

“Most of them have got at least two years left so we will go away and build on this ready for next year, and come back and beat Wandsworth.

"They really enjoy representing their borough but part of it is disappointment because they think they have let their borough down and let themselves down. They know they could have played better.”

In the female football Waltham Forest went out 2-1 to eventual champions Wandsworth in the semi-final.

Following eight months of competitions between over 100,000 young Londoners representing 33 boroughs across 31 sports, the borough placed 20th overall in the Jubilee Trophy standings.

Around 15,000 young Londoners aged 8-18 competed at the finals across 19 sports following in the hallowed footprints of Olympic champions such as Mo Farah and Christine Ohuruogu, England footballers Rio Ferdinand and Raheem Sterling and one million others who have taken part since the first ever London Youth Games in 1977.

To find out more about the competing or volunteering at London Youth Games, visit www.londonyouthgames.org or follow @ldnyouthgames on Twitter