A PRIMARY school on the Isle of Wight will be welcoming British world champion gymnast Jaydon Paddock this week in a bid to help him with the cost of his training as well as boost their own coffers.

St Francis Catholic and CE Primary Academy in Ventnor — in partnership with Sport for Champions UK — will welcome the visit of the athlete on Wednesday. 

Jaydon will be speaking to the pupils at the school's assembly, before putting them through their paces with some HIIT (high-intensity interval training) workouts.

The aim of the day is to help raise funds to meet the spiralling cost of Jaydon's training progamme, as well as boost school funds for its own projects.

Sports For Champions events are held in support of schools, which keep 60 per cent of the funds raised to spend on resources that will enrich young peoples’ education and experience, while professional athletes in need of support, such as Jaydon, are the only other beneficiaries from the remaining 40 per cent. 

Sports For Champions, in partnership with St Francis and the local community, are also using the event to help support the mental and physical health of the pupils after the national lockdowns during the pandemic.

Jaydon was among a British team of four to win gold at the 2019 World Championships in Tokyo. In what was his first individual seniors world championships, he also came fifth in the final — just missing out on a podium place.

The previous year, Jaydon won gold in the World Age Championships for athletes aged 17-21 years.

His immediate ambitions includes earning medal success at the World Games and to win the British Championships. 

During the assembly, Jaydon will show his medals and tell the story of how he achieved through hard work and living a healthier, active lifestyle, as well as discuss the challenges he faced on his road to success.

Jaydon will also focus on how essential fitness is for every young person’s general wellbeing for their physical and mental health — as well as being a strong booster of learning potential or brain power.

If you are a local business or a friend of St Francis and would like to contribute to help the school reach its targets and help Jaydon achieve his goals as a top athlete, donations can be made via the following link: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/stfrancis?tk=MTY0Mzg5NjQzMDE4YmExYWJmOWJlZGU0ZGRhNTRhMGEzMWYxZDlmMmRkNmIxM2VjZWQ%3D