Olympic rowing gold medallist Mark Hunter and three-times world champion rower Peter Haining were at Cheney School to help launch The Cheney Falcons Olympic Rowing Club.

Falcon Rowing & Canoeing Club and Cheney School PE department have joined forces in a new initiative that will enable kids at Cheney to excel at one of the sports that Britain does best.

The turn-out for the opening event was exceptional, with more than 50 kids missing their lunch in order to attend!

“With this kind of enthusiasm and inspiration, we can’t help but succeed!” said event organiser Zena Forster.

Cheney Falcons are aiming high. In their first year they hope to enter pupils for GB trials and to compete at both local and national levels.

After meeting Hunter, the lightweight doubles Olympic gold medal winner in Beijing in 2008, and Haining, three-times world champion single sculler, and listening to their inspiring stories, pupils tried fun exercises and were given basic training on indoor rowing machines.