OLYMPIC medallist Mark Richardson launched a programme at St Mary's Primary School in Bentworth to encourage pupils to pursue their dreams.

'Be the Best you can!' has been developed as a London 2012 legacy, spearheaded by former Olympic gold medallist David Hemery.

Dr Hemery and his role models, among them Mr Richardson, is visiting schools, and talking about the programme.

Mr Richardson, 42, has seven Olympic medals in athletics, including gold at the World Championships in Athens in 1997, and is the only European athlete to have beaten the World Record holder and friend, Michael Johnson, in the 400m.

For an hour on Monday morning he told the pupils about how he set himself a goal when he was a boy to become an athlete and how he achieved it by training hard, listening to what his coaches were telling him and even, when a teenager, sacrificing going to university or socialising with friends.

For full story, see this week's Alton Herald.