Senior pupils from eight Border's secondary schools came together on 21 October for an Olympic style mentoring session with ex-Olympian Shirley Webb at the Borders Young Ambassador Conference, held at the Scottish Borders Campus, Galashiels.

The Young Ambassador programme was launched on the back of the successful Olympic bid 6 years ago, and sees young people inspiring their peers with the Olympic and Paralympic values by spreading the message and widen opportunities for sport. Piloted at Kelso High School, the programme has now expanded to include two senior pupils from each secondary school.

The Border's Conference was coordinated by Border Sport and Leisure Trust's Active Schools team and kicked off with a welcome from the existing Kelso Young Ambassador's and was followed by an inspirational presentation by Shirley, who talked about her journey, the importance of hard work, and making the most of opportunities that present themselves. This was obviously not lost on the Young Ambassadors who threw themselves into a brainstorming session on what types of projects they can take back to their schools.

Kelso High School's Gold Ambassador, Gillian Black said "I wanted to be a Young Ambassador because it's a once in a lifetime opportunity to be part of the London 2012 Games. It is a great opportunity for me to develop my own skills and experiences as well as motivating others. The Olympics are such an inspiration and I am glad I'm part of a team that can help raise the profile and create excitement about the Games."

The day concluded with a workshop on introducing disability sports such as Boccia and an opportunity for the Young Ambassador's to access the official London 2012 educational website "Get Set", which is packed with resources, games and ideas to inspire. Schools are still encouraged to register on the network, as they can then apply for an allocation of tickets for next year's event.