CHILDREN in Ferndown celebrated the 2012 Olympics early when they held their own version of the top sports event, judged by an Olympic gold medallist.

Andrew Simpson, who won a gold medal for sailing at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and will be representing Team GB in London in the summer, visited Ferndown First School yesterday.

He spoke during a whole school assembly about how he won his medal and about his hopes for London 2012.

Mr Simpson was given a tour around the school, before the children in the Little Gems group, aged four to six, then took part in the Little Gems’ Family Olympics.

He then gave out medals to the pupils in an Olympic-style ceremony.

Debbie Budden, Little Gems’ base leader, said: “We have had a really lovely day, as the whole school is now studying the Olympics as a topic and it was great to have Andrew Simpson here.”

She added: “He visited every class in the school to show them his gold medal and to answer any questions they had.

“He was really lovely, really polite and had time for everybody.”

Pupils will continue studying the Olympics, before putting on a school Olympic games.