More than 200 people attended a Christmas party held by the Harrow Asian Deaf Club on Saturday.

The club welcomed 210 people to their annual party held at the Bentley Day Centre, in Uxbridge Road.

Guests included HADC ambassador and Olympic torchbearer, Ben Lampert, and Deepa Shastri who performed at the Paralympic opening ceremony.

The event kicked off with entertainment for children, which included colouring in Christmas cards, decorating baubles and games.

There was also a surprise visit from Father Christmas who gave each of the children a present.

In the evening the guests were joined by Councillor Nizam Ismail, Mayor of Harrow, and Councillor Nana Asante, deputy mayor, as well as various other councillors and local dignitaries.

There was then a Christmas buffet, speeches and carol singing.

Mr Lampert gave a speech about his experiences as a torchbearer.

He said:  “I was so proud to here because I was born in Harrow.

“Honestly, I was so shocked when I was selected to be an Olympic torchbearer.

“I couldn’t believe it as I thought there was no chance of deaf people being involved in such a mainstream event but I am glad that I broke through as one of the few deaf people to be a torchbearer.

“I was so excited when I ran through, I feel so proud of those moments, everyone was watching me, cheering me on, running with me, taking my pictures and filming me.

“I couldn’t believe the amount of support from the public who accepted me for who I am as a deaf person.”

Asif Iqbal, president of HADC, said: “We were so pleased to see everyone together to celebrate Christmas and to celebrate the successful year 2012 has brought to HADC.

“Both Ben and Deepa gave us inspirational stories of how they became involved in the Olympic and Paralympic events, much to our surprise and delight.

“I couldn’t be more proud of them as they are both known to HADC and residents of Harrow.

“They have clearly demonstrated that they are excellent role models for us and for younger generations.”