OLYMPIC medallist Gemma Gibbons paid a special visit to Wessex Judo Club, where she put young members through their paces.

Gemma, who won silver at the London Olympics in 2012, dropped-in at the Corfe Mullen-based club just days after they scooped their own impressive medal haul at the Hampshire Judo Championships.

Club chairman Gary Shears explained: "We took seven of our students to the Hampshire Judo Championships and came away with two golds and three silver medals.

"This is a great achievement for us as a club. We used to be renowned for winning lots of medals many years ago, but in recent years we lost our way and got out of the habit of entering competitions."

Gary told the Echo that the club "took a big hit back in 2010" after the death of his brother, and club judo coach, James Shears.

James, a firefighter with Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service, lost his life in the line of duty - alongside colleague Alan Bannon - while the pair fought a tower block blaze in Southampton.

On Gemma's visit, Gary said: "It was an honour to have her at our club here in Poole. She coached the whole session, it gave the kids that we teach a whole new perspective.

"This session was our last for the summer, as we shut down until September, to it was something special to finish on a high.

"There was a question and answer session afterwards and Gemma said that hopefully one of our members would eventually go one better than her and win an Olympic medal of a different colour.

"Our recent success at the Hampshire championships has been a really good stepping stone for us.

"We are always looking for new members, so if you're interested get in touch."

Meanwhile, Gemma, who lives in Edinburgh, will not represent Team GB at the Rio Olympics after her rival - Welsh judoka Natalie Powell - was selected ahead of her by amassing more ranking points.

The aim of Wessex Judo Club is to promote the sport of Judo to children and adults of all ages within the Poole, Wimborne, Broadstone and Corfe Mullen areas.

Visit wessexjudoclub.co.uk to find out more about joining.