AN Olympic great joined staff, homeowners and relatives to perform a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the grand opening of a new Retirement living complex in Chippenham last week.

Dame Mary Peters, who won the women’s pentathlon gold medal at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, opened Waterford Place in Westmead Lane on December 6 before giving a talk on her sporting career.

She said: “I was delighted to be invited to Chippenham for the opening of Waterford Place. It was an absolute pleasure to be able to chat to homeowners there, reminisce about the good old days and share my gold medal with them. I was inspired by some of their stories and I thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the ribbon-cutting and opening celebrations of what is truly a remarkable development.”

The apartment complex, which is located just a short walk from the town centre, boasts 39 one, two and three bedroom apartments aimed for the over 60s.

Kim Caldwell, Regional Sales and Marketing Director for McCarthy and Stone, added: “We were thrilled to welcome Dame Mary Peters, as well as so many people from the local area to celebrate the opening of Waterford Place and give it the golden treatment it deserves.”