Olympic success hit the village of Ponthir on Saturday as the Community met to celebrate James Ball’s Gold Medal triumph.

After his incredible Gold Medal achievement at the recent Paralympic Games in Paris, Ponthir Community Council decided to mark the occasion with a gold painted bench, in homage to the Gold Medal, dedicated to James and his feat.

James was invited by Ponthir Community Council to a recent ceremony on Saturday 19th October, and was joined by members of the Council and residents of the village.

Peter Fox, Member of the Senedd for Monmouth, was in attendance and said: “It was such a nice event to attend to celebrate the amazing achievements of James and his fellow countrymen on Team GB.”

“The bench, which has been restored and repainted by the community, was a fitting way to mark this wonderful achievement, and I was honoured to be a part of the ceremony.”

“As the Member of the Senedd, it is great to see these achievements, but also to see a community coming together to mark them.”

In addition to the unveiling ceremony, Peter was also given a tour of the brand-new facilities at the Ponthir Sports and Community Club, which was recently opened following a four-year development. Peter Fox MS commented:

“These new facilities are state of the art and are being thoroughly enjoyed by the community.”