Paralympics star Jordanne Whiley visits Steventon school

Steventon resident Jordanne Whiley, who won silver and bronze in the doubles and singles respectively at the Paralympics this summer, popped in to St Michael’s CE Primary School yesterday.

Jordanne said such events were important as the nation gets back on its feet after the coronavirus pandemic.

Steventon resident Jordanne Whiley, who won silver and bronze in the doubles and singles respectively at the Paralympics this summer, popped in to St Michael’s CE Primary School. Picture: Scott Heavey

She said: “I’m free with my medals and I’ll let people touch them because I know it’s quite a rarity to see a medal and for the kids, it’s quite a cool thing for them to see.

“It becomes more real for them and shows what’s possible.

“It’s been nice because we’ve been away from society for almost two years now so it’s nice that things are getting back to normal and to be able to interact with other people.”

Jordanne, who also won the doubles title at Wimbledon this year, had to be alert when Year 6 pupil Tom dropped her Paralympics bronze medal.

The 11-year-old said: “I dropped the medal, luckily it’s not dented and I picked it up very quickly.

“It was amazing that I was getting to hold a real medal.

“When I woke up this morning, I thought it would be a normal Friday and I didn’t think I’d be guiding Jordanne round the school.

“Today was a 10 out of 10 day, it’s really cool that I got to meet an actual Paralympian, who has won so many tournaments.”

Steventon resident Jordanne Whiley, who won silver and bronze in the doubles and singles respectively at the Paralympics this summer, popped in to St Michael’s CE Primary School. Picture: Scott Heavey

Fellow Year 6 pupil Jess helped Tom show Jordanne round the school.

She said: “It was really cool, we got to show Jordanne round the classrooms and the library, and she was impressed.

“I think it’s really cool that for blind people, on their medals, there’s braille so they know where they came.”

The visit was part of a campaign run by bed and mattress store Dreams which has seen a series of athletes create bedtime stories for children.

Jordanne said: “I teamed up with Dreams ahead of the Games because for me sleep is something that is super important being an athlete and a mum.

“It’s nice to have a bit of sleep education, and show the kids my medals and my journey as well.

“When you’re younger you don’t want to sleep and you think it doesn’t affect you that much but as I’ve got older, I’ve realised how important it is to get good rest and I think it gets overlooked.

“If I look back to when I was competing and doing anything important, if I look at the sleep I had, it really directly impacts what I was doing on that day and my performance.

“That’s the same for the kids and although they might not think it at the time, it impacts their education when you’re growing and learning.”