Eddie the Eagledrops in for lunch

Peterborough SportsAid chief Phil Elmer (left) with Luke Clark and Eddie The Eagle Edwards.

Edwards first hit the headlines in 1988 when he became the first competitor since 1928 to represent Great Britain in Olympic ski-jumping.

He travelled to the Games in Calgary as a massive underdog and duly finished a distant last in the 70m and 90m events.

In 2016, he was portrayed by Taron Egerton in the biographical film Eddie the Eagle.

Peterborough SportsAid was formed by local business people who work voluntarily to raise funds for grants for promising young sportsmen and women in the local area.

Most of the money they raise comes from four lunches each year at which they distribute a £500 grant to a local athlete. At last week’s luncheon, GB roller hockey player Luke Clark, who also plays ice hockey for the Peterborough Phantoms, was the recipient of a grant. He received it from Eddie ‘The Eagle’.

Edwards appeared in a number of advertising campaigns on television, promoting cars, and commanded fees of £10,000 an hour. Nevertheless, he declared bankruptcy in 1992, claiming that a trust fund for his earnings was not set up properly.