Children from 10 schools from Surrey and Middlesex will be taking part in a regional tag rugby festival hosted by Harlequins Rugby Club tomorrow (Thursday).

The Guinness Premiership side will host schools it has been working with as part of the EDF Energy National Schools Rugby Programme, which is introducing 112,000 children to the sport. The festival is at The Twickenham Stoop Stadium, Longhorn Drive in Twickenham, and runs from 12pm to 2pm. The showcase event will see schools involved in the programme competing against each other in a series of mini leagues, culminating in a final. They are just the latest in the area to receive coaching from Harlequins and equipment from EDF Energy, to ensure a lasting rugby legacy with schools able to play the game for years to come. More than 70,000 children have now been introduced to rugby through the programme since it launched in January 2007. Louise Poole, EDF Energy's Head of Brand, said: "EDF Energy is committed to rugby from the grassroots to the elite and the schools programme really is helping to develop the next generation of rugby players and fans. "The festivals are the culmination of all the hard work that clubs like Harlequins put into the programme through their work with local schools." The programme is one of the most comprehensive in world rugby, involving nine to ten-year-old boys and girls, along with teachers, at primary schools across England.Schools where rugby has never been played before are among those being targeted. Tag rugby is a non-contact version of the sport that teaches the skills necessary to go on and play rugby union.