On Wednesday 27 April, The Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School welcomed Mark Foster, who represented Great Britain in the Olympics and world championships and swam for England in the Commonwealth Games, to open the Medburn Centre, the School’s new state-of-the-art sports centre.

Named after the brook running by the School’s 100 acres of parkland, the Medburn Centre boasts a 25-metre, eight-lane swimming pool, fitness suite, squash courts, climbing wall, sports hall, conference suite, school shop and café. Inside, rooms are named in honour of Michael Palmer and Vic Matthews, a former member of staff and former pupil respectively, who both represented Great Britain in the 1960 Rome Olympics.

In the presence of the Master of the Haberdashers’ Company, Mr Richard Glover, School Governors, the Headmaster, staff, pupils, Old Boys and other members of the extensive Haberdashers’ community, on unveiling the plaque to open the Medburn, Mark Foster said: “It is an honour to be at Habs to open this excellent new sports centre. The facilities on offer are second to none and among the best at a school in this country.”

Peter Hamilton, Headmaster, said: “A huge amount of effort and investment has gone into making this a first-class facility. The equipment and technology available will enable us to offer an unrivalled sports and Co-curricular programme that promotes competitive excellence and fit, healthy lifestyles for all of our boys.”

After the official opening and lunch, Mark spent the afternoon coaching a swimming session. He provided a practical masterclass on technique, and afterwards, using video recordings of this earlier session, was able to give invaluable advice and feedback to the boys who participated.

Thomas Cheng, Year 10 pupil, said: “As a keen swimmer I found today a great experience. It was amazing to receive advice from such a high-profile swimmer. I will certainly take his feedback onboard and I’ve learnt how the smallest, most basic things can improve my swimming.”

Mark finished the afternoon by fielding questions from the pupils, ranging from competing at the Olympics, breaking world records and even his participation on Strictly Come Dancing!

The Medburn Centre is the newest addition to the School’s already remarkable sports facilities. Physical Education and Games are an integral part of both curricular and Co-curricular life at Habs. All pupils are provided with opportunities to participate at a level appropriate to them. There is a truly diverse range of sport available and boys at the School go on to represent national, regional and county sides. The new Medburn Centre will allow pupils to develop their talents and thrive in their chosen sporting activities.

Click here to view more photographs from the day on our Facebook page.

Click here to view the opening ceremony speech from the Headmaster and Mark Foster.