ENGLAND athletics star Lesley Owusu is set to inspire young people in Slough at a Sportivate multi-sport project in January.

The project is one of the key initiatives to create a sporting legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Owusu is a highly versatile and achieving athlete who has specialised in the 400m event. She has represented Great Britain at World, European and Commonwealth Games, where she was a silver medalist in the 4x400m relay event.

Owusu is also a highly accomplished and award winning journalist in her time off the track.

The WSEH Athletics Club member will visit the Sportivate multi-sport event project in her capacity as a Sport England Sporting Champion.

The sessions will take place at the Manor Park Community Centre in Slough on January 14 and 28 from 6-7pm thanks to Get Berkshire Active, who provide Sportivate funding in the area on behalf of Sport England.

Owusu said: “I am really looking forward to this exciting Sportivate project in Slough.

“I can’t wait to help them get into sport and share my experience of proudly representing Great Britain throughout the world, and to share my stories of triumph and coping with defeat.

“Sportivate is a fantastic way of getting young people into sport and that is something I am really passionate about.

“I believe that, as a Sport England Sporting Champion, I can inspire everyone in attendance to raise their aspirations of what they can achieve and motivate them to be the very best versions of themselves that they can be.”

Sportivate is the £56million National Lottery funded Olympic and Paralympic legacy initiative that gives 11-25 year-olds who are not particularly active six-eight weeks coaching in a new sport, and helps them find low costs ways to continue to play.

Jayne Molyneux is the strategic lead for youth at Sport England. She said: “It is great to see Lesley helping to inspire young people taking part in Sportivate to carry on participating in a sport they may never have tried before.

“Our Sportivate programme is all about listening to young people and putting on taster sessions in a sport of their choice to help them make the step into community sport, and set them on the path to creating a sporting habit for life.”

Recent figures published in April 2014 have revealed that Sportivate has retained 357,789 young people and therefore exceeded its four year target a year early.