YOUNGSTERS got a special visit from Olympian Dame Sarah Storey as a school launched a new healthy living scheme.

The multiple gold medal winning road and track racing cyclist popped in to see children at Hapton CE/Methodist Primary School and St Anne's RC Primary School in Blackburn.

Dame Sarah is the most successful Paralympian of all time having achieved 14 gold medals in the Paralympics in swimming and cycling.

The 39-year-old also competes against non-disabled athletes.

Dame Sarah's visit to Hapton coincided with the launch of the Healthy Hapton scheme which aims to get kids and their parents out and about.

Children can gain a number of points for each activity they do outside of school which gets their heart rate up.

Joanne Roberts, teacher and PE co-ordinator, said: "It is about promoting healthy lifestyles, getting them up and moving and out of the house.

"There are three awards - bronze, silver and gold with extra points awarded if they get their parents involved.

"It could be playing football in the park, going for a walk with the dog. It doesn't have to be an official sport. They have to get their points signed off by an adult so we are going to get Sarah to sign off the first set of points."

To kick start Healthy Hapton Dame Sarah presented the kids with some medals after they took part in a bootcamp earlier in the day.

"We thought Sarah could inspire the children and teach them about perseverance and endurance. They were all very excited about seeing her and had been learning about her and watching clips of her competing throughout the week," Mrs Roberts said.

Dame Sarah said she has friends who live in Hapton and invited her to the school.

"I have been looking for an opportunity to come and its a slightly quieter time now," she said.

"The great thing about the sporting message is that it applies to everything.

"It is about working hard in the classroom and other areas of your life.

"Not every child is going to be an athlete - they will take different jobs. It is about the brain being an athlete, the impact of hard work and focusing on the job you're going to do."

Dame Sarah added it is the first time in her career she has given herself some time without a specific goal while next year she will start qualifications for Tokyo.