PUPILS at Pickering Community School had a special sports day last Monday when superstar Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill dropped in to see them.

The children at the school raced against the Olympian and she also had a go at a number of the other events.

Rachel Mirfin, sports co-ordinator at the school said the sports day was being run under a new format which included all children in the huge range of events, which included archery, trampolining and a space hopper relay among the normal races.

“It was a fantastic day,” she said. “Jessica was amazing and the children really enjoyed chatting to her. She awarded all the medals and trophies at the end.

“We are very grateful to all the parents too for their spirit and enthusiasm. It was great to see everyone get stuck in.”

Dame Jessica, who became a national hero by winning world and Olympic titles during an illustrious career, said: “I really enjoyed meeting the school children. Encouraging young people to be more active is really important to me. I got so much out of sport at a young age and want to inspire others to give it a go.”

Dame Jessica was also there to promote the VitalityMove event, a new festival combining music and running taking place at Chatsworth House on Sunday July 9.