Teenage para cyclist Lauren Booth proved an inspiration to pupils at St Margaret’s Preparatory School in Calne, when she explained the hard work and dedication needed to beat her disability and succeed at the highest level.

Lauren, 15, who suffers from cerebral palsy and brain damage after contracting meningitis when she was six weeks old, missed out on the Rio Paralympics as she was too young.

She explained her gruelling training regime to children aged from seven to 11 when she visited the school on Wednesday.  Lauren trains six days a week but is allowed Mondays off and is determined to make the British Paralympic Team for Tokyo 2020.

The children were fascinated by the fact that Lauren’s track bike has no gears or brakes and approved of her colour choice of pink and purple.

Lauren from Chippenham took up cycling when she was very young after she was given a specially adapted trike by the Meningitis Trust to help her move around.  But she soon progressed to a normal bike and in 2008 started to compete and quickly became a winner.  When she was at primary school instead of pop stars or cute animals, she put posters of Olympic gold medallist Chris Hoy on her bedroom walls.

Earlier this year Lauren was made an ambassador for Wiltshire Air Ambulance along with Shelley Rudman from Pewsey, who won an Olympic silver medal in the skeleton bob, and Lottery ‘Voice Of The Balls’ Alan Dedicoat.

On Sunday she will raise money for the charity by taking part in the Wiltshire Big Wheel cycle ride which starts and finishes on The Green, Devizes.  Cyclists are allowed to donate sponsorship money to the charity of their choice.