Olympic skeleton champ bobs into school

Pupils at Madginford Primary in Bearsted were treated to a special visit from Britain’s most successful winter Olympian of all time, Lizzy Yarnold, this week.

The skeleton racer and former Maidstone Grammar School head girl, from West Kingsdown, went on to scoop back-to-back gold medals, at Sochi in 2014 and this year at Pyeongchang.

As part of its annual sports week, the Egremont Road school organises a visit from a sporting figurehead to speak to children and inspire them.

Staff member Anne-Marie Butler said: “This particular visit took over two years to finalise.

“Staff managed to keep the visit secret from the children until the very last moment to allow for preparation.”

The athlete relayed tales from the course of her career, and even brought in her shiny gold Sochi medals to show off, the spiked shoes and crash helmet she wears while racing.

Assemblies were held for both the younger and older children, with a chance for them to ask questions.

They were amazed that Lizzy is able to slide at over 90mph, yet did not take up the sport for which she is famous until she was 18 years old.

The skeleton racer is currently one of the nominees for Athlete of the Year as part of this year’s National Lottery Awards.

It follows her work to try and inspire youngsters to exercise more and to promote a healthy body image, for girls especially.

The winner will receive £5,000 for a charity of their choice, with voting open until midnight on Friday.

There’s still time to vote for Athlete of the Year. To cast yours, go online at lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/awards Grassroots programmes in Kent aimed at stopping people from taking their own lives are being urged to bid for a share of an £82,000 fund.

The money was made available to coincide with World Suicide Prevention Day on Monday.

Led by health providers and local authorities from the Kent and Medway Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP), groups are being offered between £500 and £5,000 to support projects designed to reduce instances of self-harm.

Figures for 2017 show there were 141 suicides in Kent and Medway. That figure is down from 195 in 2014, but is still higher than the national average.

Professor Catherine Kinane, Executive Medical Director of the Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust said: “This is funding for people to develop little or big ideas, with the ultimate goal of helping to prevent people taking their own life. By working together as a county, we can make a difference and help to prevent harm and save lives.”

A total of £82,000 is available, of which £15,000 is reserved for suicide prevention and self-harm reduction projects working with children and young people.

Any community group, charity or organisation can apply.

Bids will be considered by a small panel which will include representatives from the health service and, where possible, people affected by suicide.

Applications need to be submitted through kent.gov.uk/savinglives and must be received by October 11. Funded projects need to be delivered by March 31, 2019.

Anyone in need of emotional support is urged to call the Samaritans on 116 123