By Marios Papaloizou

Haberdashers’ Aske’s Knights Academy’s Lauren Scane admitted all the hard work was certainly worth it after her extra-curricular efforts were rewarded by London 2012 bronze medallist Beth Tweddle.

Scane was one of the star attractions at Stamford Bridge on Monday evening as more than 100 young legacy leaders took centre stage to celebrate and showcase their fantastic work on the Get Set to Make a Change programme since October last year.

The Get Set to Make a Change programme, funded by the Big Lottery Fund, saw youngsters keep the spirit of London 2012 alive with 14-year-old Scane and Bromley school Knights Academy certainly doing that – fulfilling a pledge to get girls into golf.

Their hard work didn’t go unnoticed with gymnast Tweddle, who won bronze on the uneven bars at London 2012, as well as double Paralympic equestrian gold medallist Natasha Baker handing Knights Academy an award to commemorate the youngster’s efforts at a red carpet event.

And after coming up close and personal with two stars of British sport, Scane was left pinching herself as to just how far the Get Set to Make a Change programme had taken her and her classmates.

“To have a celebration after our work, especially with the presence of athletes like Beth and Natasha is really rewarding,” Scane said.

“They showed us their resilience and told us their stories and we learned that you should always have motivation no matter what happens.

“The skills that I learned were definitely leadership skills and teamwork skills.

“We wanted to carry on the vibe from the Olympics and to see that sports could be carried on after was really rewarding.

“The Olympics was really inspiring and to know that school can still be inspired from that and we can carry on that legacy is fantastic.”

And Tweddle insisted she was more than happy to take time out to celebrate Scane and Knights Academy’s hard work, revealing that the youngsters’ efforts are an inspiration.

“London 2012 was such a special moment not just for the athletes but for the whole of the UK and the fact that the legacy is still living on is amazing,” said Tweddle.

“You can see the excitement in the legacy leaders here and the stuff that they have been doing for their communities is unbelievable.

“You can really see the enthusiasm when you’re talking to these legacy leaders and they can tell you exactly where they were when certain people won their medals.

“I think any legacy programme is really important and these legacy leaders are going out there and inspiring another generation.”

Through GSTMC, the British Olympic Foundation, in conjunction with the British Paralympic Association is using the spirit of the London Games to re-inspire young people across the UK.

The project is being supported by a £2.5m grant from the Big Lottery Fund’s Keeping the Spirit of 2012 Alive campaign.

For more information, visit makeachange.org.uk