We were delighted to welcome back Old Bedfordian, Joel McNally (07-18), to the school on Friday, 19th November. Joel gave an inspirational sixth form lecture, ‘The Flying Kestrel – Be Bold!’, which had the boys sitting on the edge of their seats. He recounted how he and his father had taken an abandoned 1930’s car, which had been rotting in a barn for over 50 years and turned it into a turbo-charged speed record breaker capable of speeds of over 200mph! Their journey was also documented in a TV series which tells the ‘blood, sweat and beers’ story of their creation, ‘The Flying Kestrel’. Joel’s talk highlighted the importance of being bold, resilient and not giving up at the first hurdle.
“It was an absolute pleasure to speak to the sixth form students at the school about The Flying Kestrel project. It is a fantastic story of resilience in the face of adversity. I think the boys got a real understanding of our drive to persevere and overcome the challenges we faced and will continue to face in breaking land speed records with such an old car. I also think it was a great opportunity for the boys to get an understanding of how this project relates to our core business and how it serves as a unique and bold marketing project for Kestrel Beer. As a former pupil, I hope the story gave the boys some inspiration and belief to be bold in the future. I’d like to thank Andrew Grimshaw and Clara Policella for inviting me to talk at the school.” Joel McNally
Not one to do things by halves, Joel brought the Flying Kestrel in to school to give everyone the opportunity to see his project in the flesh. As he revved up the engine – the enthusiasm from both boys and staff, who just couldn’t resist its allure, was very apparent as they gathered round to take a better look.
We’d like to say a big ‘thank you!’ to Joel for coming back to the school and wish him the best of luck in all his future endeavours.