MEMENTO business Little Impressions York made a good impression with Olympic athletes during festivities to celebrate the one-year countdown to the Olympic Games 2012.

Debi Bray-Menezes was one of seven Little Impressions franchisees from around the country invited by Eurostar to St Pancras to take castings of the feet of athletes, who will be competing in the games.

Dutch windsurfer Dorian Van Rijsselberge, retired French Handball player Jackson Richardson and Belgian table tennis player Jean Michel Saive, as well as Olympic organising committee chairman Lord Sebastian Coe, Colin Jackson and Hugh Robertson MP, Minister for Sport and the Olympics all had their foot impressions taken, which will be turned into an exhibition to symbolically mark the first steps on the way to the 2012 Olympic games, alongside impressions taken from Olympic fans from England, France and Belgium.

Debi said: “It was exciting waiting to see if I was going to be picked. What an opportunity. Colin Jackson was really friendly. He stayed around and talked to everyone.”

The 41-year-old from York had casts taken of her two children, and liked them so much that in May 2009 after the birth of her second child, she decided to set up the franchise in York and Harrogate.

She said: “I loved them and saw the opportunity to start the company in York. “Originally from York I moved back here with my husband when my first child was a baby. The work allows me to utilise my artistic side whilst balancing work around my two children who are three and six.”

Debi, who stills works as a part-time occupational therapist for the NHS, has also set up York Body Casting, to produce copies of the human form, specialising in pregnancy casting.