A SPORTING hero who competed in London the last time the Olympics were held in this country is still inspiring his family – almost 30 years on from his death.

Charles Brand played water polo for Great Britain in the 1948 games and the Helsinki Olympics four years later.

He starred for Warrington in a warm up match with Australia at Legh Street Baths in the lead up to the London games.

His grandson Rafik heart-breakingly missed the cut to make the handball squad for 2012 due to injury in a pre-games training camp while fellow grandson 6ft 6in Jamal has his sights set on making the basketball squad for the 2016 games in Rio.

According to widow Barbara, from Callands, it is Charles’ legacy which he would be most proud of.

Still swimming well into his 60s, he died in 1984 minutes after a dip in the sea at Blackpool.

83-year-old Barbara said: “He lived for his water polo and he was so proud to have competed in the Olympics.

“He would be so proud now, all the granchildren have been inspired by him. They all said, I want to follow in my granddad’s footsteps and get to the Olympics.”

His love for the sport was well illustrated on their honeymoon.

Married in Cheadle Parish Church in 1950, the happy couple even had Press at the wedding because Charles was so-well known in the north west.

They had decided on the Lake District for their holiday afterwards. But an England call-up meant they headed off to Exmouth instead.

Barbara, a keen sports fan, said: “Cornwall turned out to be lovely anyway.

“I had watched him for a few years playing water polo so I knew what to expect!”

And her experience of the Olympics shows just how much times have changed.

“We used to go to the cinema during the Olympics in case we saw him on the highlights of the news clippings every day! How daft was that? What were the chances?

“Nobody had a television in those days. Now every match will be on the television.”

Matches were also a little different.

Games would be played outdoors – at Wembley in London – and often in cold conditions.

“It was so cold then that the players used to have little flasks of rum or whisky by the side of the pool if they needed warming up!”

And those years of watching Charles have left her with a deep rooted passion for sport which remains today.

She still watches grandson Jamal, a Priestley College student, play basketball regularly and watched GB v Portugal in an Olympic warm-up in Sheffield last week.

“Those are my days out,” she says.

So what of the Olmypics themselves?

“I cannot wait for them to start, I will be glued to the television for it. I hope it goes well,” she said.