There is no doubt that the current lockdown measures are putting everyone under extra pressure. The time of year and weather are conspiring against us, preventing us from spending much time outside and trying to find ways to entertain ourselves inside can be challenging. Michael Cox, Head of PE at Bedford Free School (BFS) and Head of Community & Partnerships at Advantage Schools has been spearheading a campaign to help.
“With lockdown in place and no opportunities to socialise and go outside much it’s the perfect chance to read. We know how important reading is as a vehicle to academic achievement and I wanted to encourage as many young people to read as possible. At school, I was a stereotypical ‘jock’ or ‘sporty type’, I’d rather be playing sports than reading and I see this throughout our schools. I began to enjoy reading in my late teens by finding topics and books that I was interested in. So I decided to contact the authors of books that I loved and they have very kindly agreed to share their stories with me and our students.”
The first author Michael spoke to was Ralf Haley, author of “The Beautiful Dream”. The book tells the story of Ralf’s quest to fulfil his boyhood dream of becoming a professional footballer, “One minute, One Euro, anywhere will do…”. Since completing his journey of discovery Ralf has gone on to become a Video Editor and Producer and has worked for BBC Sport on programmes such as Match of the Day, FA Cup Live and Formula 1, none of which would have happened, if he hadn’t followed his dream.
Michael also has plans to speak to Ben Ryan, author of “Sevens Heaven; The Beautiful Chaos of Fiji’s Olympic Dream” and the most successful men’s rugby sevens coach in the world, and James Montague, award-winning author and journalist of several highly-praised football books including “When Friday Comes: Football in the War Zone” (Winner of Best New Writer at the 2009 British Sports Book of the Year Awards).
Tim Blake, Principal at BFS added, “As Head of Community & Partnerships Michael is always looking at ways we can engage with the whole school community. This is another fabulous example of our staff going the extra mile and we’re excited to be able to share these with you.”
Interview with James Montague, author of “Thirty One Nil” can be viewed here
Interview with Seth Burkett, author of “The Boy in Brazil” & “Tekkers” can be viewed here
