ONE of Britain's best-loved actors praised students for reaching the peak of their school careers at an awards ceremony.
Warwick Davis, who played Ewok Wicket in the Star Wars series, Professor Flitwick in Harry Potter and other roles in Willow and The Leprechaun, handed out prizes at Monks' Dyke Tennyson College prize-giving at Louth's Nichol Hill Methodist Church.
He said he hoped to have time on his visit to Lincolnshire to visit Cleethorpes' Ten Pin Bowling Centre with his family.
His wife Samantha is a former pupil of the school and the couple regularly visit relatives in her home town of Louth.
Warwick, who completed a series with Karl Pilkington in An Idiot Abroad, told how he loved playing the sport with his wife and children, Annabelle, 16 and Harrison, 10.
He said: "I have my own bowling ball. It has special holes so I can get my fingers in it. When I think about it, it looks just like Karl's head."
Warwick joked: "I don't have much time for it as we are busy at our new home doing DIY. I mainly leave it to the experts but I am good at painting the skirting boards."
In his speech to the college students, staff and parents, he was pleased to celebrate the pupils' achievements.
He said: "My wife was a pupil. She has achieved great things since she left – she married me.
"I didn't achieve much at school but I did try a lot. One school report said I was 'trying'. Trying is an achievement in itself.
"I didn't enjoy sports. Doing the high jump was a challenge. I couldn't even jump on to the crash mat and in the long jump I never made it to the sand.
"The hurdles was more like a game of limbo and in football, the strip was black and white so I was always being mistaken for the ball.
"I was excited to take part in my first game of cricket but they wouldn't let me play because I was shorter than the wicket.
"So they stuck me in the scoring hut. It was all numbers to me. But for some reason my team did really well after I became the scorer."
The actor told how he took a whole term to build a pair of stilts in woodwork class.
His wife of 22 years, Samantha told the Grimsby Telegraph she fondly remember her "great schooldays".
She said: "My dad (Peter Burroughs) was in the film Labyrinth with Warwick. I didn't much like him at that stage, but when we met again in panto with Marti Caine in Cambridge 25 years ago, I knew he was the right one for me."
She told how people always want to stop and have photos with Warwick and get autographs.
She said: "A trip to the supermarket takes about three hours."
She told how the couple love taking their children to Cleethorpes when they visit Lincolnshire and they share a passion for camping.
Winner of the college's top drama award, Ashley Standland, said he was thrilled to meet Warwick.
He said he hoped to gain a place at university to study music and then into teaching or musical theatre in London.
Ashley, 18, of Louth, said: "It has been very good for me at Monks' Dyke. They taught me a lot."
The Grimsby Telegraph award for media studies was presented by Warwick to Emily Marrows, 18, of Louth.
She said she hoped to study English at university and later work in design.
For her A-level course Emily created a flyer from Louth-based Samsung Honda motor racing team.
She said: "They were really happy with it as it was to promote our local team."
The prize-giving was the last of 14 awards evenings led by college principal Dr Chris Rolph.
He starts his new role as principal of Oasis Academy Wintringham, in Grimsby, in September.
After giving pupils an inspiring speech about endeavour to reach their peak of achievement, he told the Grimsby Telegraph he was sad to leave the school – read his full interview in the paper next week.
Chairman of Governors Rachel Tickhill thanked Dr Rolph for his years of dedication to the school and wished him well for his new role.
The audience was also entertained by talented performers Ashley Standland and Ellie Stocks, who sang On My Own from Les Miserables.
KT Tunstall's hit Black Horse And A Cherry Tree was performed brilliantly by Megan Johnson and trio Tom Williams, Jordan Dowswell and Abbie Hopwood sang James Arthur's Impossible.
