England’s Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls Joanna Parker and Will Bayley joined four-time Olympic gold medallist Sir Matthew Pinsent to feature in an iconic photo to celebrate how National Lottery funding has transformed sport, boosted our medal chances and helped to make the London 2012 Games possible.

Athletes from every one of the 47 Olympic and Paralympic sports came together with one of Britain’s greatest ever Olympians to recreate a school photo to represent The National Lottery’s ‘Class of 2012’.

Most of the athletes present will have benefited from National Lottery funding directly, whilst athletes from sports such as tennis and football appeared on behalf of the Lottery investment into their sports at a grassroots level, transforming community sport and enabling facilities to be created.

The National Lottery is also investing £2.2 billion in the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Lottery players are enabling 1,200 elite athletes to train to the highest of international standards.

‘Headmaster’ Sir Matthew Pinsent today welcomed the athletes and passed on inspirational words to them at iconic City of London School, boasting a historic school hall where the class photo was created.

The ex-Olympic Champion said, “I am honoured to be able to celebrate The National Lottery’s investment with these talented athletes who are hoping to take centre stage next year. Beijing 2008 was our most successful Olympics ever and I am backing our current hopefuls to do even better in London. The Lottery really has been the catalyst for the change in British sporting success.”