PUPILS at a Llandudno school will welcome a silver medallist from the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics next month as part of a fundraiser to replenish its budget.

Ysgol Gynradd Tudno will host James Ball, runner-up in the 1000m time trial track cycling at the Paralympics, on February 8.

Team GB athlete James will visit the children of Ysgol Gynradd Tudno to help the students to recover and rebuild after all of the national lockdowns.

He is working with Sports for Champions UK, a community interest company providing opportunities for schools to collaborate with athletes to inspire students.

James will start the visit by leading the whole school into a fitness circuit, class by class, to show the pupils how anyone – no matter what their current fitness levels – can take that first step and achieve their goals.

During this time, the pupils will each complete four exercises such as ‘spotty dogs’, ‘leg drives’, ‘full- or half-press-ups’ and star jumps, just to get their heart beating.

After the pupils finish the fitness circuit, James will deliver a motivational talk, discussing his personal journey into sport and the obstacles he overcame during his career.

James will also talk about the benefits of exercise, good nutrition and the physical and mental rewards of being fit and active.

After that, the pupils will be encouraged to ask him any questions about his professional career, his top sporting tips and how he dealt with the struggles of a national lockdown and how this impacted his training and how training is currently.

But most importantly, James will show the pupils that athletes themselves are only human and they also struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Finally, James will give the pupils a demonstration of his sporting ability and bring the medals that he has won to show the pupils.

Mason Baker, digital fundraising coordinator at Sports for Champions UK, said: “With children’s mental health in the forefront of the public’s hearts, there’s never been a more important time to take action and inspire young people to lead a healthy lifestyle.

“Children today face a barrage of obstacles – from convenience food to the constant temptation of screen time – which prevents them from being able to undertake and enjoy regular exercise.

“This is why I think James’ visit to Ysgol Gynradd Tudno is even more important at this time of their lives, while they have the opportunity to change or improve their health and wellbeing.”

Sports for Champions’ mission is to visit every school in the UK with their team of professional athletes to inspire children to lead a healthy lifestyle.

All athletes are unsponsored, with schools fundraising for both their athlete’s visit and to invest in more sporting equipment.

A online fundraiser for Ysgol Gynradd Tudno has also been set up, which you can donate to by visiting: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/ysgolgynraddtudno.