Lime Tree youngsters going for gold after Olympian visit

Pupils at Lime Tree Primary School in Merstham had a spring put in their step the other week after a visit from European and Commonwealth gold medal-winning hurdler Andy Turner.

​Over the course of his career, the 36-year-old, who competed for Great Britain at the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, won eight major international medals in the 110m hurdles, as well as competing in the 100m and 200m, and also the long jump.

During his visit to Lime Tree,  which opened in September 2013 and is a member of the GLF Schools multi-academy Trust, he told the children about the highs and lows of his athletics career, and the importance of perseverance and dedication in achieving your goals in life.

“It was a wonderful experience for the children to have someone like Andy, who has seen so much of the world and reached the very top of his field, come into their school and share so much with them,” said Year One teacher Fiona Watkins, who organised the visit.

“As well as talking to them in an assembly, he also led them in a series of exercises, like star jumps, leg drives and press-ups to get across the message about the importance of exercise and healthy living.

“At play time, I heard some of them saying things like ‘Let’s go and do some exercise to get fit’ and ‘I want to be a hurdler just like Andy’. I think that shows the visit was a success!”.