Gail Emms inspires pupils at Hartford Church of England High School

Olympic silver badminton medallist, Gail Emms, met over 100 pupils from Hartford Church of England High School today (Thursday 18 October), after the school won a competition to receive a visit from the sporting star.

Gail, who claimed a prestigious silver in the Athens Olympic Games, visited the school in her role as a Youth Sport Trust Ambassador, inspiring and encouraging young people to take part and enjoy sport. The school, a Youth Sport Trust Partner school, won the special visit after entering a London 2012 World Sport Day competition, battling it out with hundreds of other schools eager to receive a visit from the badminton champion.

During the visit, Gail led a badminton master class, offering hints and tips to young people on how to master the skill of the game and discussed how sport can have such a positive benefit on young peoples' lives. Gail also addressed pupils on the challenges she faced along her journey to becoming one of Britain's most successful badminton players.

Hartford High School was selected for the prize for their excellent preparations for London 2012 World Sport Day; a UK-wide celebration in schools, presented by Lloyds TSB, as part of the London 2012 Education programme, Get Set, through which 20,000 schools and colleges were recognised and rewarded for their commitment to the Olympic and Paralympic Values.

The school was commended for their activities which included learning about their selected countries, regular teleconferences with international partner schools, holding international lunches and trying sports from around the world. They also worked with their local communities to plan activities such as designing Olympic torches and preparing for mini-Olympics.

As a Youth Sport Trust Partner School, Hartford works hard to demonstrate how they are delivering high quality school sport and improving the PE experience for every young person.