Pupils from a Bristol school were put through their paces by one of Team GB's most charismatic paralympians yesterday.
Ade Adepitan MBE won bronze at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens with the British basketball team and has graced TV screens in various acting and presenting roles since. And with his striking dreadlocks, broad grin and tales of daring-do, he held a captive audience at Elmlea Junior school before showing them some tricks.
The retired athlete has been in a wheelchair since contracting polio aged three and hopes to inspire the next generation of sportsmen to break down barriers both in and out of sport.
Elmlea won the visit through a Lloyds TSB-sponsored competition after convincing judges with a 100-word reason why they should be selected.
Head of PE Katie Atkins said: "We do a lot of sport and encourage students to try all sorts of sports. We try to be very inclusive. It's really all to do with achieving your goals and it's not just for the children with special needs."
Head teacher Clare Galliers described the visit as "very inspirational" for the youngsters.
"We hope the kids get the message that disability is no barrier," she said.
Adepitan talked to the students before holding workshops alongside Lloyds TSB "local hero" Emily Hollis, one of the UK's up and coming badminton stars. Hollis, 16, from Congresbury is ranked 5th in the country and has her sights set on the 2016 Olympics. "I never had anybody like Ade come to my school when I was their age," she said. "He's very inspiring."
Charlotte Higgins, 11, who dreams of representing her country at eventing had her first sight of an Olympic medal, while Robbie McCulloch, 10, was amazed that Adepitan had scaled a volcano.
Adepitan said: "If they can just take one thing, one message, maybe 'never give up', something that can open up a little seed of light inside them, then I'll be very happy."
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