I was thrilled to spend the afternoon of October 7th with the students of Thomas Keble, when I joined them on their annual 7-mile sponsored walk. This event is a highlight of the school year, where the 700 students walk along the streets, through the countryside, and beside the canal of Eastcombe. Money raised is [...]

Warning: this particular blog entry contains language and topics that some may find offensive! “40 and a little bit naughty” were the words on one of the birthday cards I opened on October 3rd, which I obviously took as more of a compliment as opposed to an accusation. Despite the books and businesses, speeches and [...]

I finished off the trip to North Devon with a day at Instow Community Primary School. A full day of assemblies and class visits had been coordinated by Lesley Turner, who was unfortunately away that day but had left me in the hands of Mark Gough — the young, enthusiastic, and very friendly headteacher who [...]

My heart started racing, my thoughts got muddled, and I felt like I was going to faint — I was halfway through an assembly to students at Ilfracombe College and realized I was either going to pass out or get a really bad migraine right then and there, in front of a couple of hundred [...]

Landkey Primary School in North Devon was the fortieth group I have visited to talk about Japan since March. I usually do several sessions at each school, and can probably estimate that I reach an average of a hundred students. So I think I’ve now spoken to 4000 young British kids about Japan — not [...]

I spent most of last week in North Devon, starting off with 1st Fremington Guides. Gillian Ashcroft, a university friend and now primary school teacher who has just been unbelievably supportive and organized in spreading the word in her local community, had organized much of the week. She had just sent her eldest son off [...]

It’s been a busy couple of weeks with lots of travelling between Devon schools, and then my 40th birthday celebrations, and I’ve got behind on blogging about the school visits. Lots to catch up on! I spent the morning of Friday 23rd September back at my old secondary school, Plymstock School. My old Head of [...]