AN Olympic athlete jumped at the chance to help young people in Teesdale get involved with sport.

Team GB long jumper, Chris Tomlinson, delivered two motivational sessions at Teesdale Leisure Centre, in Barnard Castle, as part of the national Sportivate project.

The multi-million pound National Lottery-funded scheme offers 11 to 25-year-olds the chance to get six to eight weeks free coaching in a new sport.

Chris Tomlinson is Sporting Champion for the project, which is supported by County Durham Sport and Durham County Council.

He said: “It was great to be part of Sportivate in Teesdale and the opportunity to support such community sports programmes is a real privilege for me.

“I’m hopeful that by using the Olympic and Paralympic legacy from London 2012 and through my experiences in competing at elite level, I can inspire all the young people who took part to sustain their sports participation.”

More than 3,000 participants have completed Sportivate courses in County Durham since it started three years ago.