Britain's most successful Paralympian ever inspires at King's School Macclesfield
The woman who is behind Macclesfield's Golden Postbox on Market Place, has visited King's School Macclesfield, following her latest Paralympics success.
Dame Sarah Storey told young pupils at King's Infant & Junior Division about her lifelong determination 'to be the very best version of herself.'
You could hear a pin drop as the UK's most successful Paralympian of all-time and a legend of para-cycling with 30 medals including an astonishing 19 Golds, told the pupils about her incredible journey.
Born without a functioning left hand, she overcame bullying at school, to launch an amazing sporting career, first as a swimmer and then as a cyclist, winning Paralympic titles and World Championships from the ages of 14 to 46.
All the way she ignored those saying she wouldn't succeed just trying hard and following a process driven approach to forge her own path; for example, when told by her first swimming coach she had started too late at the age of 10.
Then later in life transferring to the totally new sport of cycling to then make the Olympic squad training for the Games in London.
Her last endeavour was, perhaps, the most incredible when at the age of 46 she won two cycling Gold medals in Paris in the summer, beating a much fancied, home-based 19-year-old in the process.
Talking with a beaming smile, Dame Sarah told the special assembly "You need to be mentally resilient. You need to make a decision and then back your own decision all the way.
"However, always remember even in an individual sport, you are always a member of the team and everyone in the team is equally important. It is not just the person in the saddle or the one that scores the goals that counts: everyone has a role to play in a team and supporting roles are every bit as important."
Increasingly, a cogent, powerful and highly influential advocate for the development of the Paralympics movement and equality of opportunity between men and women, Dame Sarah can be seen toiling up and down the Cheshire highways and byways, from her home near Macclesfield. Such is her conditioning and determination, that she is even still considering competing at the Los Angeles Paralympics in 2028 when she will be 50.
Rachel Cookson, Principal of King's Infant & Junior Division, said: "Our pupils were absolutely spellbound listening to Dame Sarah as she gave them an invaluable lesson in determination, self-belief and team-work, all key qualities we want our children to develop and value.
"Dame Sarah is a huge supporter of The King's School and we are incredibly fortunate to have her speak to pupils on the back of the World Championship and, just weeks before, the Paralympics in Paris."
Her success at the London 2012 Olympics, saw the red postbox outside Pizza Express, Macclesfield, permanently turn gold in her honour.
The postbox even got a recent wooly cosy ahead of the Paris games, which could have served as a lucky charm, given her success in the French capital.
Following her success at Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, which took place in 2021, the cyclist and swimmer had a street named after her. Storey Avenue, near Henbury, is also named after the super-athlete.
Storey lives in Disley, which is just out of the patch covered by Macclesfield Nub News, but included within the Macclesfield parliamentary constituency, that the London 2012 Golden Postbox project was divvied out by.
Storey will take part in the ITV show Dancing on Ice in 2025.
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