HARD work and no shortage of skill has seen St Bede’s become a dominate force in badminton.

Having enjoyed plenty of success at local level, the super Saints have stepped up their bid for glory at county and national standard.

And that success has been down to the efforts of players and staff at the Blackburn school.

“St Bede's has had a lot of success in Badminton competitions at a local level over the years. Over the last 18 months we have made a conscious effort to try and succeed at County and National level.

“We have accessed Sport England funding to pay for specialist badminton coaches to deliver extra curricular sessions and the PE staff have given up a lot of their time at lunchtimes and after school to ensure our pupils reach their full potential.”

He added: “The fact that we are county champions in three different competition and in two more county finals next month is a great reflection of the hard work the pupils and staff have put into developing their badminton.”