A BOXING champion shared her top tips with students at Colchester Institute.

Hannah Beharry hosted a workshop at the college after it won a competition.

The masterclass saw her don gloves and pads to train youngsters, as well as giving an inspirational talk.

Sue Wells, Active College Maker for the college, said: “I’m delighted Sport England selected Colchester Institute to receive this visit.

“Sporting Champions like Hannah are great inspirational role models and I am excited to see the impact Hannah’s visit and masterclass had on our students to keep motivated and achieve their own sporting goals.”

Colchester Institute won the special visit in an Active Colleges competition after it submitted details of a joint project with Essex’s boxing development officer and the Essex Boys and Girls Club to get 19 students boxing regularly.

Tutors have since reported an improvement in the students’ concentration and attendance levels.

Active Colleges is a £25million lottery-funded initiative run by Sport England, which aims to help more college students play sport while they are studying. Hannah is one of Sport England’s Sporting Champions, a team of current and retired elite athletes who help inspire young people.

She has twice won the national title in her class and won bronze at the European Union championships, but Hannah missed out on competing in the London 2012 Olympics through injury.

She said: “The aim of Active Colleges is to increase the number of students in further education colleges taking part in sport regularly so it is something I’m passionate about.

“I’m hopeful by using the Olympic and Paralympic legacy from London 2012 and through my experiences in competing at elite level, I can inspire all the young people to sustain their sports participation.”