Olympic rowing silver medallist Guin Batten presented a group of Plymouth schools with a national award for increasing the number of pupils taking part in sport.The Plymstock School Sport Partnership embarked on a huge rowing project after asking children to choose a new sporting activity.Two instructor courses in Dry Land Rowing were set up and teachers, school sport co-ordinators, teaching assistants and students were trained. Since the project started, more than 250 students have taken part in championships and around 100 regularly attend clubs on school sites. One has even been identified for a World Class Start programme while 65 have been recognised by the Amateur Rowing Association.On Wednesday, the Partnership Development Manager, Rob Wright, received the 'Highly Commended' award from Guin at a national conference organised by the Youth Sport Trust.He said: 'It's very pleasing to see everyone's hard work getting this recognition. This is the start of a project to get people involved in outdoor activities and it's been great.'The rowing project started after an audit of pupils, many of whom were not involved in team games, revealed 80 per cent wanted to try a new sport in school.Around 100 completed an indoor competition where they rowed a distance equivalent to the Plymouth coastline.Mike Jelly, Headteacher at Longcause Community Special School, said: 'The value of this type of work is immeasurable. The growth in our pupils' physical skills, endurance, stamina, teamwork, social skills, and experience of the community are very clear. This is inclusion in its truest sense.'