Sporty Students Meet Olympic Star, Jade

28 MAY 2014

Olympic Gold Medallist Jade Jones took time out of training today to meet young people who have been inspired to take up sport at her local college.

The National Lottery-funded Taekwondo star visited Coleg Cambria in Deeside where she took part in a Zumba class before leading a demonstration in her own sport.

Jade was visiting the college to celebrate the success of its new National Lottery funded Sport Wales programme to get more students active. Launched at the beginning of the year with a £45,000 National Lottery grant, hundreds of teenagers who hadn’t previously taken part in sport are now regularly attending sessions in Zumba, netball, rounders, spinning and the gym.

During the visit, Jade said: “I really enjoyed the Zumba class today and hope that some of the group might go and give Taekwondo a go as well. It’s great that the college is able to offer lots of different opportunities for its students to try different sports and find something they enjoy doing.

“My own career has been helped with National Lottery funding and it’s fantastic to see how it’s also helping other people near where I grew up. Everyone who plays The National Lottery should be proud of the difference the money is making to our area.”

After the sports session Jade stuck around to share her Olympic story and have photos taken with her London 2012 Olympic Gold medal.

Coleg Cambria would have been Jade’s local college if she continued in education after attending Flint High School. Instead, she was awarded National Lottery funding for elite athletes and moved to Manchester to train full time at GB Taekwondo’s base.

David Jones, Principal and Chief Executive at Coleg Cambria, said: “Jade is a really inspirational figure in the local area and it was an honour to have her at the college today. We are really pleased with how popular our new sports sessions are and we’re delighted that Jade could take part and hopefully inspire even more people to try them out.

“Coleg Cambria is committed to providing sporting opportunities for all of our students, whether it’s competitively or as a way of keeping fit, and we are extremely grateful for the funding from The National Lottery which is helping us to do so.”

Coleg Cambria has received more than £2 million in National Lottery grants, awarded through Sport Wales, paying for coaching sessions and funding facilities such as the athletics stadium, floodlit pitches and sports hall.

Jade is one of over 1,300 National Lottery funded elite athletes. The funding allows her to compete and train full time to the highest international standards.