This week has seen a myriad of Movember related activities across our school community. Boys, parents, Old Bedfordians, teachers and support staff have come together in force to help raise awareness of men’s health issues, such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer and men’s mental health issues, through our annual Movember campaign. If you would like to help the boys reach their fundraising total, you can donate directly here.
We literally hit the ground running with our Around the World in 80 Days initiative, aiming to run, walk or cycle the 24,900 miles around the equator by the end of November.
The ‘MoBros’ (a dedicated group of Sixth Formers at the helm of the campaign) held a Masala Curry Night where two magicians entertained guests with table top tricks. Old Bedfordian Joe Wallace (2016-18) of Northampton Saints spoke about the pressures faced by young sportsmen and the importance of talking to others during times of stress. Joe linked this to exam pressure and urged boys not to bottle up their emotions, instead talk to friends, teachers or family.
A fun evening of dodgeball was enjoyed by staff and boys. Twelve boy teams and two staff teams entered the competition, including Mr Gracie’s ‘Team Tweed’. Mr Gracie’s solo effort in the final was highly impressive, but alas for him, it was the boys who took the trophy.
Ed Blythman, Jaikishan Katechia, Marc Neilson, Adam Foat, Will Kirkup, Rahul Sheemar and Miss Bell entered the Milton Keynes 10k, raising sponsorship for their efforts. Ed Blythman managed to win the men’s 10k race overall with Adam Foat close behind!
Boys from across the school together with girls from Bedford Girls’ School took to the stage in our annual Open Mic Night to perform popular songs either as a solo act or in a group. Ify Ifechukwukwu was first up with a wonderful solo performance, singing two songs he had written himself. Queen’s ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ was energetically covered by one of the groups, and the evening concluded with a fabulous performance by Ollie Walker who gave us a cracking display of his DJ skills set against a stunning light-show.
The Mobros braved the cold to play in an Aussie Rules Football match. It was a great game with the final score 52-17 to the yellow team. Particular congratulations go to Eli Cooke who was man of the match and James Kneller who was runner up.
Movember Citizenship Morning was an exciting one, but equally delivered some very serious messages. Our Fourth Form focussed on the A-Z of Being a Teenager with Adam Rood, and then Learning About our Differences, promoting tolerance and self-awareness. The MoBros attended sessions on Emotional Wellbeing with the Remove Form, who then attended crucial body image sessions to promote self-esteem through healthy eating. The Fifth Form were lucky to have trained MoBros delivering sessions on testicular cancer, followed by essential sex education on a carousel rotation of Sexually Transmitted Infections, condoms and sexual relations. The Lower Sixth started with this same rotation of sex education, and then heard a talk regarding their future beyond Bedford School. The Upper Sixth boys not involved in delivering peer-led sessions, attended a session with golfer, author and motivational speaker Mr Sam Jarman and his colleague Grayson Hart, professional rugby player and well-being speaker. The whole of the Sixth Form were then treated to a session in the Great Hall to hear from Movember UK speakers and OB actor Bob Barrett.
Movember Video
This week saw the launch of the Bedford School annual Movember video starring the MoBros boys. This year, the theme has taken on a unique twist with a parody of Earth, Wind & Fire’s ‘September’. Do tune in, turn up the volume and enjoy! Don’t forget to share with your friends to help spread the word.
