One of Britain’s greatest athletes and the world’s first four-minute miler, Sir Roger Bannister, is to officially open a new athletics track.

The eight-lane, floodlit track, is being built at Sutton Valence School, near Maidstone, at a cost of more than £800,000 as a training facility for young athletes throughout Maidstone and Medway.

It is being jointly funded by Sutton Valence School and Maidstone council.

Work got under way on the track in March and is scheduled for completion next month.

Sir Roger will give the track a final seal of approval when he officially opens it before students, staff and invited guests, on Tuesday, September 22.

Sir Roger Bannister ran into the history books on May 6 1954, when, at the age of 25, he ran a mile in just 3 minutes 59.4 seconds.

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