BURNLEY’S Holly Lam-Moores is on the verge of realising her childhood ambition at London 2012 – but the 21-year-old insists the hard work is only just beginning.

Lam-Moores has been named in Team GB’s women’s handball team that will make history at the Games this summer.

Britain have never before had a handball team compete at an Olympics but after London won the bid to host this summer’s Games a project was put into place to find the right talent.

And former Alder Grange High School pupil Lam-Moores – who is set to be one of the stars of the GB team – admits that the chance to represent Team GB was top of her agenda as far back as in 2006, when she was supposed to be studying for her GCSEs.

“As soon as London won the bid I told my Mum I was going to play handball in Denmark and represent Team GB at these Olympics,” said Lam-Moores.

“She told me I had to focus on my GCSEs first of all and I could only go to Denmark if I got straight As, so I worked hard and made sure that I did and it’s been an amazing journey ever since.

“I moved to Denmark in 2008 and it just all seemed so far away.

“But it’s just flown by, especially this past year, and it feels like a dream beginning to come true now and I can’t wait.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, it’s a really special moment in our lives and the last thing we want to do is mess that up because we’re too excited.

“It’s been really intense, difficult at times but you look at the outcome and how far our team has come and it’s just amazing.

“You can see in the results that we are getting now just how far we have come.”

n Lloyds TSB Local Heroes, in partnership with SportsAid, provides support and funding to 346 of Britain’s most talented developing athletes on their journey to London 2012 and beyond. Since 2008, the programme has supported 1,000 athletes.