A former BMX world masters champion returned to his old primary school in Sutton last week to share his experiences with the children.

Mike Mullen visited Devonshire Primary School on Thursday (September 21) for the first time since he was a pupil.

The bike enthusiast now runs his own BMX Academy to help kids develop their mindsets and improve their wellbeing.

“My whole family went to that school and my mum worked in the canteen,” Mike told Sutton Guardian.

“My mum came to my talk to and it was a really nice morning. The school has changed drastically. There’s a lot more students now.”

During his visit Mike talked to pupils and performed tricks.

Assistant head teacher, Bethan Scrivens, said: “We had an absolutely fantastic morning with him. All of the children took on board his messages regarding learning from failures and rising above things and keeping going and being resilient.

“They thought it was absolutely amazing. They were in awe of him.”

What kind of things does Mike try to teach the pupils?

He said: “I share with children that I used to be a quiet boy with asthma and would avoid challenges. I stayed in my comfort zone.

“I started challenging myself with my bike and I got a passion for it and my confidence grew. It opened me up to new experiences, travelling and eventually competing around the world.”

Mike added that the kids reacted positively to the chat and the tricks involving the teachers.

He explained: “They enjoyed it. I got a teacher up to demonstrate and to try a new trick. It’s the concept of getting out of your comfort zone. The notion is that the teacher feels better even though they were scared. It’s better to go through challenges head on rather than give yourself an excuse.

“I did a few tricks in the school room and jumped over a couple of teachers. The children enjoyed that quite a lot. It was nice to revisit my old school and see how it’s changed and to remind the children they can achieve anything they want.”

Schools can book talks with Mike from his website www.bmxacademy.com