RECORD numbers of people went along to a Bicester Village recruitment day to bag one of 100 jobs up for grabs.

About 400 people turned out for the summer job fair, which was opened by former Olympic athlete Janine Belton.

Swimmer Ms Belton, who represented Great Britain in the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games, shared her sporting success tips with job seekers.

Ms Belton, who is best known for winning gold at the 2001 World Championships as part of the British women’s 4×200 m freestyle relay team alongside Nicola Jackson, Karen Legg and Karen Pickering, talked about the concept of mental toughness and how it benefited individuals and teams.

Bicester Village spokesman Miranda Markham said last week’s job fair had attracted record numbers.

She said: “At this time of year we have more vacancies than usual as the tourist season gets underway.

“This is an ideal time for students to try their hand at retail and earn some money during the long summer break. For those who want to develop a career in retail, there are also plenty of long-term positions ranging from sales assistants through to senior management.

“Bicester Village also runs a retail apprenticeship programme in partnership with a number of the brands, which will commence its annual placement programme in September 2012.”

Mrs Markham said a number of the stores were impressed as they recruited staff with an additional language.