AN OLYMPIC medallist was on hand to unveil the 'astounding' new sports hall at his old school in the Ribble Valley.

Canoeist Jon Schofield, who won a bronze medal for Great Britain in the K-2 200m category at London 2012, opened the £2 million project at Clitheroe Royal Grammar School on Friday.

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The new sports hall at the Chatburn Road school features retractable seating for up to 270 spectators and will also be used as a meeting space.

The main double-height gymnasium features four courts and is served by an entrance foyer, a small office, student and staff changing areas and an associated plant room, with two storage rooms located to the rear of the building.

Work on the building ,which was designed by leading North West architects, Cassidy Ashton, started at the end of October 2013.

The project, which received planning permission in June 2012, was completed following a major fundraising drive. It had been expected to finish between April and July 2014, but was delayed.

Jamie Alcock, head of physical education and games, said the scale of the development had been determined by Sport England and was designed with a double height space to enable it to be used for 'a wide range of indoor sporting activities'.

He said: "Our students are amazing and have real talent. A sports hall will mean that we can offer a wider range of activities and ensure that lessons are able to take place throughout the year - whatever the weather."

Outlining the need for the new facility, head teacher Judith Child said: "Academically, Clitheroe Royal Grammar School is a very high-achieving school and is always within the top 50 schools in the National League Tables. In sport it is constrained by lack of indoor provision.

"Clitheroe Royal Grammar School was one of the few secondary schools in the country without a dedicated sports centre."

Town councillor Val Cooper, the Mayor of Clitheroe, attended the opening and admitted she was 'blown away' by its size.

She said: "This building is absolutely amazing, I was completely blown away. We were sitting in rows of seats almost like a theatre, Then later at the push of a button all the seats retract and disappear to turns into a huge hall.

"In my days we just had the simplest of equipment, but these children are so fortunate to have this. It's an astounding facility. "

The sports hall is the second phase of a three part project by the school focused on improving its extra-curricular offer.

A £500,000 state-of-the-art 3G all-weather pitch was completed in January 2011, while a £500,000 re-design of the existing gym, Learning Resource Centre and music and drama facilities is also in the pipeline.