Olympic medallists teamed up with the mayor of Elmbridge for a ground-breaking ceremony at Molesey Boat Club.

The mayor, Councillor Barry Fairbank, put the first spade in the ground on Sunday, June 15, to mark the start of the build for the clubs new indoor rowing centre, which will include a new gym and a community indoor rowing tank.

The new indoor tank will replace the facility which was demolished in 2004 and will provide a safe, stable and dry environment of schools and clubs to gain confidence in the sport before going on to the water.

Moe Sbihi , Olympic medallist, said: "I am delighted we have finally started the project. I started here as a junior and it’s great to see the club building new facilities to encourage more people to take up rowing."

The project will cost £300,000 and the club want members of the community to sponsor a brick to help fund the build."

Bill Raspin, committee chairman of Molesey Boat Club, said: "It has been a tremendous team effort to get the project started but we are finally under way. This will be a great facility for the local community when completed."

To buy a brick, visit moleseyboatclub.org.