On Thursday 6 May 2021, our Year 8, 9 and 10 students had the privilege of participating in a webinar with Making Generation R and Blesma, The Limbless Veterans.

The Making Generation R campaign supports injured veterans to share inspiring stories about overcoming adversity and we were able to listen to David Ledger’s incredibly brave story. He shared details of his time competing as a slalom canoeist before joining the RAF. Sadly, David suffered injuries which left him paralysed but told students how he channelled his frustration into overcoming adversity and becoming incredibly resilient. Rather than giving up, David has embraced parenthood, studied to become a Health Promotion Practitioner now working for the NHS as a Stop Smoking Advisor and he has also volunteered with Blesma for the past 7 years.

Learning to be resilient can make a big difference to anyone who struggles with feelings of anxiety and low self-esteem. One of the most effective ways to encourage resilience is through inspiration from others who have overcome difficulties in their lives. This session gave our students the opportunity to learn real coping strategies through hearing how David faced adversities, overcame these and went on to set and achieve his goals.

The final part of the session gave students the opportunity to ask questions and we were incredibly impressed with both the quantity of questions but also the level of maturity that students showed when asking David some very thought provoking questions.

Mrs J Godfree
Assistant Headteacher – KS3