Olympic medallist opens fitness centre
Four years after his team mate, Darren Campbell, visited the Royal Alexandra and Albert School, athlete Mark Lewis-Francis came to open the School’s new Fitness Centre. Both Mark and Darren were members of the Gold medal winning 4x100 relay team at the Athens Olympics in 2004. Mark spent the morning at the School. He started with a training session for aspiring athletes, where he taught them the techniques that are important for sprinting. He then gave a talk to 400 pupils in Chapel where he explained how he achieved sporting success and overcame difficulties along the way. He then opened the new Fitness Centre.
The Fitness Centre has state-of-the-art fitness equipment including running machines, rowing machines and weights. It was funded partly by the School and also partly thanks to a generous legacy from Mrs Margaret Hatchett. Headmaster Paul D Spencer Ellis comments “We are not sure of the connection Mrs Hatchett had with this School but can only assume she know of the work we do to offer free boarding places to some of our pupils. She specified that the legacy should be spent on sports facilities so she might have had a sporting connection to the School. It’s all very mysterious.”
He continued “I am really pleased Mark could visit us today. His talk in Chapel was inspirational and he had a real connection with pupils.”
21st October 2013
