SPAR in the North of England has used the European Athletics Championships to shine a light on the next generation of the sport, with ticket giveaways for unsung club heroes and a Lancashire schoolboy's award-winning artwork both taking centre stage.

While the biggest names in European athletics have been chasing medals at Alexander Stadium this week, SPAR in the North of England has been using the championships to celebrate a different kind of achievement – the clubs, schools and young people quietly building the sport's future.

Through its "Go to the Games" competition, SPAR invited athletics clubs across the region to nominate their unsung heroes for the chance to attend the championships. Three clubs came out on top: Leeds City AC, Chester-le-Street and District Athletics Club and Wigan Harriers, all of whom were rewarded with tickets to Tuesday morning's session in Birmingham – a thank-you to the volunteers, coaches and helpers who keep grassroots athletics running week in, week out.

The focus on young people didn't stop there. SPAR North of England, through James Hall & Co. Ltd, has been the long-standing sponsor of the SPAR Lancashire School Games since 2006, and this year – the Games' 20th anniversary – the company ran a special 20-Years logo design competition to mark the occasion. The winning design, chosen from more than 400 entries, came from eight-year-old Ibrahim Musa of St Pius X Catholic Preparatory School in Preston.

The judge was fitting: Keely Hodgkinson herself selected Ibrahim's design as the winner and sent him a video message to break the news. "Congrats to Ibby, who was the winner of the SPAR Lancashire School Games competition," she said.

"This also means you and all your classmates are coming to watch me run at the European Champs in Birmingham. Can't wait to see you all there supporting Team GB!"

As part of his prize, Ibrahim and his classmates were invited to Birmingham to watch Hodgkinson begin the defence of the 800m title she won in Rome two years ago.

Ibrahim wasn't the only pupil from St Pius X with a claim to athletics fame in Birmingham this week. His schoolmate Cora Alton, an aspiring young athlete herself, recently won the same 2km Red Rose Cross Country League trophy that a teenage Hodgkinson lifted back in 2012 – making it two separate, genuine connections between the same small Preston school and the woman who is now Britain's biggest track star.

It all adds up to a campaign with a clear thread running through it: linking the drama and glamour of a home European Championships with the real-world, everyday opportunities that get young people into the sport in the first place.

For every Hodgkinson lighting up Alexander Stadium, SPAR's message is that there's a Cora Alton somewhere on a cross-country course in Lancashire who might just be the next one – and a Games, a club or a competition worth supporting to help her get there.

Find out more about Ibrahim's winning design and the SPAR Lancashire School Games at jameshall.co.uk.