An evening with Olympic champion Jessica Ennis

Golden girl and University of Sheffield graduate, Jessica Ennis, will be taking part in a special event at Sheffield City Hall to help raise funds for the University of Sheffield's Elite Sports Performance Scheme (ESPS).

An Evening with Jessica Ennis, taking place on Friday 30 November 2012, will give people the chance to hear her incredible success story, including her triumph at this summer’s Olympics.

Fellow alumnus Dan Walker, BBC sports presenter and host of Football Focus, will be interviewing Jessica on the night and guests will also be able to enjoy exclusive acoustic performances from Sheffield's Reverend and the Makers.

Jessica said: "The support I've received from the people of Sheffield over my career has been amazing. It's very fitting that I‘m sharing my story with fellow Sheffielder Dan, here in my home city."

Jessica, who graduated with a degree in Psychology in 2007, is a patron of ESPS which was launched in 2010 to provide financial and non-financial support to talented student athletes at the University.

The scheme offers students a host of beneficial services including access to physiotherapy support, regular lifestyle mentoring and the opportunity to discuss academic flexibility on a case by case basis, to enable them to continue to study at the University whilst taking part in their sport at the highest level. In addition, some students receive scholarships to help with equipment and training costs, as well as travel expenses.

As well as supporting the University of Sheffield's Elite Sports Performance Scheme, which is backed by both Dan and Jessica, proceeds from the evening will also support the Sheffield Children's Hospital Charity's Make it Better Appeal, which aims to transform the Children’s Hospital in Sheffield; and the Christian charity Taste, of which Dan Walker is a patron and which helps rural Nigerian communities gain access to clean drinking water.

Sheffield's Dan Walker, who began his presenting career after graduating from the University of Sheffield with a degree in History and a Masters in Journalism, said: "It's great that we can put on this fantastic event and also support some extremely worthy causes. We’re both very excited to be gracing the Sheffield City Hall stage.

"When Jess won the gold medal she was staggered by the amount of support and nowhere has supported her better than her home town of Sheffield."

John McClure, aka The Reverend, said: "We’re honoured to share in the success of Jessica Ennis at this homecoming event. She is the queen of Sheffield and a great role model. A true legend!"

Tickets for An Evening with Jessica Ennis, at £15, £20 and £30, are available from Sheffield City Hall box office via their website www.sheffieldcityhall.co.uk, in person or over the phone: 0114 2789 789.

Additional information Elite Sports Performance Scheme

The Elite Sports Performance Scheme enables elite athletes wishing to study at Sheffield with the opportunities and support needed to ensure they can be successful not only in the sporting arena but in the academic one too. Any student representing their country in one of Sport England's recognised sports will have the opportunity to apply. For more information about the Elite Sports Performance Scheme visit ESPS. The University of Sheffield

With nearly 25,000 students from 125 countries, the University of Sheffield is one of the UK’s leading and largest universities. A member of the Russell Group, it has a reputation for world-class teaching and research excellence across a wide range of disciplines. The University of Sheffield has been named University of the Year in the Times Higher Education Awards for its exceptional performance in research, teaching, access and business performance. In addition, the University has won four Queen’s Anniversary Prizes (1998, 2000, 2002, 2007). These prestigious awards recognise outstanding contributions by universities and colleges to the United Kingdom’s intellectual, economic, cultural and social life. Sheffield also boasts five Nobel Prize winners among former staff and students and many of its alumni have gone on to hold positions of great responsibility and influence around the world. The University’s research partners and clients include Boeing, Rolls-Royce, Unilever, Boots, AstraZeneca, GSK, ICI, Slazenger, and many more household names, as well as UK and overseas government agencies and charitable foundations. The University has well-established partnerships with a number of universities and major corporations, both in the UK and abroad. Its partnership with Leeds and York Universities in the White Rose Consortium has a combined research power greater than that of either Oxford or Cambridge.