Olympic and Paralympic heroes Beth Tweddle and Natasha Baker honour Swakeleys School girl

After meeting the two stars of British sport, Megan Lawley was left pinching herself as to just how far the Get Set to Make a Change programme had taken her and her classmates.

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Alan Hayes

15:12, 4 NOV 2014
Updated10:10, 11 NOV 2014

Megan Lawley, second from right, stands next to Olympic gymnast Beth Tweddle, far right, at the ceremony at Stamford Bridge. Paralympic double gold medallist Natasha Baker is pictured centre.

A school girl has admitted all the hard work was certainly worth it after her extracurricular efforts were rewarded by London 2012 bronze medallist Beth Tweddle.

Swakeleys School’s Megan Lawley was one of the star attractions, along with double Paralympian gold medallist from Cowley, Natasha Baker , at Chelsea Football Club’s Stamford Bridge ground on Monday evening, November 3, as more than 100 young legacy leaders took centre stage to celebrate and showcase their fantastic work on the Get Set to Make a Change programme since October last year.

The programme, funded by the Big Lottery Fund, got youngsters to keep the spirit of London 2012 alive. Megan, 15, and Swakeleys fulfilled a pledge to raise the profile of Olympic and Paralympic sport in local primary schools.

Their hard work didn’t go unnoticed, with former gymnast Beth Tweddle, who won bronze on the uneven bars at London 2012, and Natasha, handing Megan an award to commemorate her efforts, at a red carpet event.

And after meeting the two stars of British sport, Megan was left pinching herself as to just how far the Get Set to Make a Change programme had taken her and her classmates.

“It’s been a really enjoyable evening and it’s something that we haven’t had the chance to do before,” she said.

“It’s really nice to have had the athletes here as well and it made us feel like we really deserved it.

“We had a group of team leaders who went into the primary schools to teach sports like basketball and sit-down volleyball, tennis and curling.

“From Get Set to Make a Change I’ve learned how to take control, and leadership skills, and learned how to work well in a team.

“I’ve just enjoyed sharing my experiences with young people and being able to help them out and teach them new sports.”

Beth Tweddle said she was more than happy to take time out to celebrate Megan and Swakeleys School’s hard work, saying the youngsters’ efforts were an inspiration.

“London 2012 was such a special moment not just for the athletes but for the whole of the UK and the fact that the legacy is still living on is amazing,” said the gymnast.

“You can see the excitement in the legacy leaders here and the stuff that they have been doing for their communities is unbelievable.

“You can really see the enthusiasm when you’re talking to these legacy leaders and they can tell you exactly where they were when certain people won their medals.

“I think any legacy programme is really important and these legacy leaders are going out there and inspiring another generation.”

Through GSTMC, the British Olympic Foundation, in conjunction with the British Paralympic Association is using the spirit of the London Games to re-inspire young people across the UK. The project is being supported by a £2.5m grant from the Big Lottery Fund’s Keeping the Spirit of 2012 Alive campaign.