An Olympic champion "reminisced about the good old days" when she helped open a retirement complex.

Dame Mary Peters and the Mayor of Loughton, Councillor Philip Abraham, attended the gran opening of McCarthy and Stone’s Retirement Living development, Poets Place, in Loughton.

Dame Mary Peters, who won the women’s pentathlon gold medal at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, was joined by staff and homeowners for a speech where she talked about her experiences as an Olympian and sporting ambassador.

She said: “I was delighted to be invited to Loughton for the opening of Poets Place. It was an absolute pleasure to be able to chat to homeowners there, reminisce about the good old days, and share my gold medal with them.

"I was so inspired by some of their stories and I thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the ribbon-cutting and opening celebrations of what is truly a remarkable development.”

Councillor Philip Abraham also praised the scheme, which has been designed for over 60s.