Such an honour to welcome Josh Quigley, world record-breaking athlete, cyclist, inspirational speaker and ambassador for our catering company Thomas Franks. As part of Mental Health and Wellbeing Day, Josh spoke to the boys about nutrition followed by a practical session making smoothies.
Josh cycled around the world, set the fastest-ever time to cycle the 516-mile North Coast 500 and cycled 2,179 miles in 7 days to set a Guinness World Record for the Greatest Distance Cycled in One Week, which was also awarded “Outstanding Achievement of 2021” at the Cycling Weekly Awards.
The boys were enthralled by Josh’s story and he also emphasised one of our school values of perseverance, as he encountered many setbacks on his journey around the world but using the support that was around these, was able to bounce back from these and complete his journey. During break, the boys got the chance to channel their ‘inner Josh’ and have a go on a smoothie making bike, where the only way to blend the smoothies was to pedal as hard as possible. They also enjoyed some delicious healthy fruit snacks from some of our catering suppliers.
The boys concluded the Wellbeing Day with some mindful colouring and a nature walk around the school site, some cloud gazing and spent time revisiting calming breathing techniques and how to respond when they are feeling under pressure. The senior boys took part in a mindful music rotation that included breathing and relaxation techniques, a drumming workshop and even some body percussion!
We were delighted by the way in which the boys embraced the day and the many very real tips and techniques that they learnt for helping them to manage their wellbeing in and around the school.
