Olympic javelin-throwing medallist of 1980s was inspirational speaker at Blundell Park conference

                                                      

Former Olympic medal-winning javelin thrower Fatima Whitbread MBE was recent guest at Blundell Park, Cleethorpes, to give a talk to teachers, child pyschologists and others concerned with the welfare and development of children, especially those from difficult backgrounds. Ms Whitbread (64), who won a silver medal at the 1988 Olympics, was abandoned as a baby and spent the first 14 years of her life in institutions with other traumatised children. But by dint of perseverance, she became a great international athlete of the 1980s and, since her retirement from competition in 1992, has championed the cause of children in seeking to achieve their their goals.