LONDON'S bid for its first Olympic Games in 64 years has been welcomed by a Woodford Green woman who won a medal last time round.

Dorothy Parlett, of Harts Grove, who became the first British woman ever to win a medal in the 100 metres, believes that the games could do a lot of good for the country.

She said: "The East End badly needs refurbishment and I think it would bring some money in. I was pleased when I heard about the bid but not overly excited because at my age I don't know if I will be around nine years hence."

Mrs Parlett, who attended the launch of the London bid at City Hall earlier this month, remembers the effect the games had on post-war London in 1948. She said: "The games gave us a lot. There was a great deal of excitement and it was such an uplift."

If the latest bid succeeds the Lower Lea Valley would be the focus for massive redevelopment with an estimated 3,000 full time jobs being created in east London as a whole.

Back in 1948, however, the then 21-year-old would rather the games had gone somewhere else. She said: "I was a bit disappointed that it was in London because at that stage I had never been out of the country but at least it allowed all my family to attend."

Having trained as a high-jumper, it was only six months before the games that she switched her ambitions to sprinting. On the big day she ran a time of 12.2 seconds finishing second to the "Flying Dutchwoman" Fanny Blankers-Coen.

She said: "I was thrilled to be at the Olympics. I hadn't had any experience of running at international level and I was terribly nervous. If I could have run away from the race I would have done."

A silver medal was not, however, the only thing to come out of the event for Mrs Parlett. At the games she met a handsome 800 meters runner, John Parlett, whom she ended up marrying in 1976.

May 30, 2003 15:00