PUPILS from Westonbirt School have received advice on confidence building and developing life skills from one of the world’s greatest athletes, Olympic and World champion Jessica Ennis-Hill CBE.

A group from the school attended an event in Sheffield hosted by the heptathlon star after entering a nationwide competition organised by Sky Sports.

The Westonbirt pupils who met Ennis-Hill were among 300, aged 11-18, from 12 schools across the UK who took part in a day dedicated to developing life skills and confidence through participation in sport.

A Sky Academy Ambassador, Ennis-Hill said: “The best advice I would give to people suffering low self-confidence would be to talk to your parents, teachers, friends or someone you can trust, so they can help you.

“In my mind, sport is a great way to build confidence. It promotes discipline, it releases endorphins that make you feel good and when you win, it’s a real confidence booster.”

Afterwards Westonbirt Year 9 pupil Isabel Viola said: “The day has been a great experience. I’ve learnt so much.”

She said it was “so much fun” learning from the athlete mentors, adding: “They helped me appreciate the importance of things like resilience and teamwork. Also I can’t believe I met Jess Ennis-Hill – she’s such an amazing athlete and an inspiration.”

Westonbirt School teacher Lizanne (correct) Johnson said: “It’s very important for young people to have faith in themselves and trust their ability.

“Speaking to someone like Jess Ennis-Hill does wonders engaging the students and helping them unlock their potential, both in sport and academically.

“The day with Jessica Ennis-Hill has been a great success and we feel so privileged Westonbirt School has been involved.”

The initiative was established after Sky Academy research discovered that one in three young people (33 per cent), aged 11-24, felt they were “not confident”.