Month: July 2022
Report written by Head of Year 10, Mr Seddon-Roberts
It’s 4am in Threlkeld Cricket Club car park and Joe and Sam (Evans Year 12) and Mr Seddon-Roberts are watching two headtorch lights bobbing their way down Halls Fell ridge on Blencathra. They are awaiting the competitors of the inaugural edition of ‘The Cumbrian’, a 352km race across fells, lakes and mountain passes. The challenge is to complete:
Frog Graham (distance: 64km, climbing: 4750m, fell running and swim across 4 lakes),
Bob Graham Round (distance: 106km, climbing: 8230m, fell running 42 Lakes District summits in under 24 hours) and
Fred Whitton (distance: 182km, climbing: 3950m, cycling in under 12 hours)
Over 3 consecutive days with only 3 hours rest in between each challenge. The challenge is being taken on by Tim Jenner and Kirk Wadsworth, former colleagues of Mr Seddon-Roberts, with the aim of raising £10,000 for 3 charities: Jigsaw (Cumbria’s Children’s Hospice), Keswick Mountain Rescue Team and Brathay Trust.
The morning begins on a sour note, as the team learn that Tim has retired with an injured knee. Undeterred, Kirk is pushing on and he is one of the two headtorches the boys spot coming off Blencathra. With the Sedberghians loaded up with supplies for Kirk, Joe on energy drinks, Sam on water and Mr Seddon-Roberts lead navigator, they head up the steep ascent to Clough Head following a short pit stop in the car park. Kirk is in good spirits despite having been on the move for most of the last 24 hours and enjoys getting to know Joe and Sam including finding out about their epic 3 Peaks Yacht race experience.
A better morning could not have been selected as clear, blue skies and a glorious sunrise accompany the team across the Dodds. Every 30 minutes Kirk’s alarm buzzes which calls Joe and Sam into action as they pass on the food and drink that he asks for. Following the Dodds, the running is good and Helvellyn is reached, approximately half way and the highest point on this leg. A bank of mist awaits the remainder of the run as the blue skies disappear and visibility is reduced to 50 metres. Kirk is in good shape and after a tough climb up the notorious Fairfield, he flies off on the descent, zigzagging down the scree path using his poles like a slalom skier – Joe and Sam have no problem keeping up though. The final summit is Seat Sandal and after descending out of the mist to Dunmail Raise, the supporters were relieved to get dry and warm in the car. Not for Kirk though, who continued on up Steel Fell in good spirits with still another 14-15 hours of fell running to go!
Kirk went on to complete his Bob Graham in 23 hours 53 minutes and the Fred Whitton in 11 hours 30 minutes – a superb achievement. Joe and Sam came away feeling inspired and Sam was even talking of a possible future attempt!
It is still possible to donate to these 3 fantastic causes: Donate | The Cumbrian (cumbrian22.co.uk)
As if the last week of term wasn’t busy enough already, our dedicated pupils and staff headed out on their expeditions to successfully complete their Silver and Gold Duke of Edinburgh Awards, in the magnificent setting of the Lake District National Park.
The Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) Award is widely acknowledged as the world’s leading youth achievement award. A DofE programme involves volunteering, learning a skill, getting fit, planning and undertaking an expedition out in the country, and at Gold Level, also taking part in a week-long residential. Work-ready skills are developed whilst doing the DofE such as confidence, commitment, resilience and team working. Sedbergh School holds a licence to deliver DofE programmes to its pupils on its own premises.
Back in June of this year, DofE released their post-pandemic annual statistics which highlighted a huge surge in young people starting DofE. More than 321,000 began a programme in 2021/22 – the highest in their 66-year history – and nearly half a million are now doing their DofE across the UK.
At Sedbergh School, there are active groups at Silver (Years 10 and 11) and Gold (Year 12) Award levels and these encourage pupils to involve themselves fully in the extra-curricular options open to them and perhaps try an activity which they would not otherwise have considered. For each Award, pupils will complete an expedition. The majority of pupils will do this on foot using the superb local area of the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales, but in recent years, canoeing, yachting, sailing and even horseriding expeditions have taken place.
We were delighted to once again welcome parents to Sedbergh School, as we celebrated our academic year with Speech Day and Prizegiving.
After a fantastic makeover in the Hirst Centre, we hosted 1000 people, made up of staff, pupils and parents, on the last day of term at the start of July. Our audience were treated to Performing Arts performances by our Chapel Choir, a dance routine from our summer term production the Wyrd Sisters and a breath-taking rendition of Christine McVie’s ‘Songbird’ by Upper Sixth pupil, Rosie.
As well as hearing from our Chairman of Governors, Mr Richard Gledhill, and our Headmaster, Mr Dan Harrison, our guest speaker for the day was Mrs Sara Hirst – former Senior Mistress and Headmistress of Sedbergh Junior School. Sara Hirst talked about her time at Sedbergh and the story behind our School becoming co-educational, as this year we celebrated 20 years of girls at Sedbergh School.
As well as a number of prizes throughout all years in the School, there are a small number of special prizes which are awarded at the end of our prizegiving ceremony, which was led by our Deputy Head, Mr Colin Gunning. For his record-breaking Wilson Run time back in March, Fraser Sproul was awarded the Hirst Award for exceptional sporting achievement.
The David Tait Memorial Cup is awarded to a pupil or pupils who have joined our Sixth Form and demonstrated the most Sedberghian of values in their two years at the School. This year’s winners were Harriet Robson and Tom Douglas.
Our final award of the ceremony is the John Angus Leybourne Cup. J.A. Leybourne (SH 1933-38) was described by his Headmaster, J.H. Bruce Lockhart, as “pure gold”. The cup was presented by John Leybourne’s widow to be awarded annually, at the Headmaster’s discretion, ‘to a very special Sedberghian’. It was first awarded in 2005 when the winner was James Hogg (P) for an exceptional contribution to the School, from CCF Band to the Ten Mile Course and the rugby field. This year’s winners were Sarah and Sam.
Words by Mr Chris Allinson, Director of Music
The Sedbergh School Chapel Choir recently returned from an unforgettable concert tour of northern Italy – bringing the 2021/22 academic year to a close with six performances in stunning venues from Milan to Venice and in between.
This auditioned choir rehearse twice a week as well as fulfilling Sunday chapel commitments, and in recent years have been in a very rich vein of form. Shortly after returning from their most recent international tour in 2019 to Boston, NYC and Washington D.C, the choir reached the final of the BBC Young Choir of the Year 2020 competition – a competition that was subsequently cut short by the pandemic. There then followed a long period of inactivity or reduced activity, making the success of the choir this year all the more impressive. This was undoubtedly led by our Upper Sixth choristers (this year and last), who ensured that the choir rebounded from the disappointments of 2020 and much of 2021.
The base for this year’s tour was Sirmione, situated on a gorgeous peninsula at the southern end of Lake Garda. Blue skies and waters, and warm temperatures were the backdrop for a morning routine of sectional rehearsals and well-earned poolside rest, ahead of performances most evenings. The venues for these performances were chosen for their beauty and variety, from the unique cliffside position of Santuario Madonna della Corona, to the almighty Milan Cathedral – one of the largest such spaces in the world. The repertoire that we performed was a selection of pieces that the choir had sung throughout the year, from Parry’s ‘I was glad’ to Lotti’s ‘Cruxifixus’, to Whitacre’s ‘Sleep’, and of course compositions by our very own Head of Choral Music – Mr Seymour.
Although all performances were memorable, it would be fair to say that the concert at Milan Cathedral marked a noteworthy moment in the choir’s history. When we arrived at the cathedral, it became clear that this was to be a special event, as we were warmly welcomed by several members of staff at all levels from the cathedral. As we rehearsed in the afternoon, they sat and listened. At the end of this rehearsal we were informed that tickets for the concert, in this vast space, had sold out. Furthermore, our concert was the first of a new initiative by the cathedral to reach out to – and collaborate with – Christians across Europe. As such, the event was attended by a number of dignitaries. Although it is fair to say that we were all humbled and moved, the choir rose to the occasion in superb fashion. Following the concert, the choir attended a reception before being taken to the roof of the cathedral to watch the sun set over Milan.
In addition to the busy performance schedule, there was time for the choir to let off steam at Gardaland theme park, and enjoy the spectacular atmosphere of ‘Aida’ at the Arena di Verona. A thrilling boat ride on our final day round the Sirmione peninsula brought the tour to a fitting, fun end as the tour party savoured the final few hours of each other’s company. We all knew that we had shared a quite remarkable experience together on a number of levels – not just in terms of the memories created, but also the strengthening of social bonds within the choir which are ultimately so important to its continued musical success.
We are thrilled to announce that we have been shortlisted for 5 awards at this year’s Independent School of the Year (ISOTY) Awards – the most in our School’s history.
The Independent Schools of the Year awards 2022 will celebrate all that students, staff and wider school communities have achieved during the 2021-22 academic year. This year there are 22 categories which schools can enter and there were over 1000 entries!
We have been shortlisted for the following awards:
- Boarding School of the Year
- Performing Arts Programme
- International Student Experience
- Student Wellbeing
- Community Outreach
As well as Sedbergh School being recognised, our Prep School in Casterton have also been shortlisted for an award, Prep School of the Year.
Sedbergh School has a good record at the ISOTY Awards, collecting prizes in the past for sporting achievement, community outreach and for rising star (OS Henry Ackroyd).
Finalists are announced at the start of September, with the awards ceremony later in the year.
Imogen Boddy, a former pupil of Sedbergh School, has become the youngest known female to run the length of Britain.
Aged just 22, she ran 60km (40 miles) a day for 22 days from John o’Groats to Land’s End. Imo, from Yorkshire, completed the 1340km challenge, known as JOGLE, on Sunday July 10.
Imo said: “It feels amazing to have finished. Surreal! I don’t think it has sunk in yet.”
She added: “I’ve never done anything so hard in my life and sometimes it felt very overwhelming but I never doubted I would complete it.
“I couldn’t have done it with the support of my family and friends.”
Imo also thanked her project sponsors, including headline sponsor Frostrow Capital. She said: “Without the backing of my sponsors, especially Frostrow, I could not have even started to imagine my record-breaking run.
“I am very grateful to those that have supported me and for having the confidence in my ability and dream.”
In 2018, the previous record holder Megan Al-Ghailani completed a JOGLE run in 40 days and celebrated her 23rd birthday during the feat. The youngest known male to run north from Land’s End to John o’Groats (LEJOG) is Tom Hunt, who took 30 days in 2016.
Imo’s JOGLE run is an unofficial world record. She said: “It won’t be an official record because Guinness World Records stated they are not keen to encourage running records for young people.”
An important part of the feat was raising funds for the mental health charity, Young Minds. Imo has raised almost £26,000 so far.
Imo, a personal trainer, said: “I have spent a lot of time during the run reflecting on how important exercise is for mental health. Exercise helps to keep us balanced mentally.
“I also hope I have shown that we are capable of so much more than we think we are.”
Imo started her ultra run at John o’Groats on June 19. She followed the most direct route south, mainly sticking to roads. She was supported for the full challenge by her parents Laura and Julian in a motorhome. Friends and family members have joined her for sections of the run. Logistics and cycling safety support has been provided by former Marine and accomplished ultra runner Chris Taylor.
Imo described many ups and downs during JOGLE. She said: “The first part of every day was so hard mentally. The first 10 days were also very tough physically.
“I had many painful blisters on my feet and then a sore tendon in my right foot and also a sore left knee, probably because I was compensating for the sore foot. At times I couldn’t see the light ahead.
“But then my body seemed to adapt a bit. People said this would happen but early on I didn’t believe it would.
“After that it has just been coping with the long days and getting through the 60km. There have been some very hot days, too.”
Imo described the 22 days of daily ultra marathons as “like being in a bubble of running”.
She said: “Everything else has been done for me and I have just needed to run and walk the distance and others have organised my food, recovery treatments and sleep.
“The support from everyone has been incredible.”
Last year, Imo completed seven marathons in seven days to raise funds for the charity, MIND. While attending Sedbergh School aged 16 to 18, she also created The Boddy Challenge, aimed at sixth-form girls. The endurance event consists of a 10km swim in Lake Windermere, running a marathon around Lake Windermere and then cycling 40km back to Sedbergh, all in under 12 hours.
She said: “I’ve always loved setting myself mental and physical challenges. Testing your limits and seeing how much you can achieve is very rewarding.”
After a busy school year, we could be forgiven for relaxing in the last week of Term. However, at Sedbergh School we embark on a week of activities in our Challenge Week.
Including all pupils and staff, we organised for over 20 different activities. Ranging from exploring Hadrian’s Wall, completing the National Three Peaks and Wild Swimming in the Lake District. As well as lots of outdoor activities, we completed a large amount of community service work throughout Sedbergh and the local area. As a School, we are committed to giving back and throughout the year, all pupils will complete a minimum of 2 days work of service.
Athletics Masterclass with Dean Macey
We were delighted to welcome former Olympian Dean Macey back to Sedbergh School, as he, alongside Head of Athletics Mr Toward, led an Athletics Masterclass for the week. Macey, who won 2 World Championship medals and a Commonwealth Games gold medal in Decathlon, covered all disciplines of athletics with the 20 pupils and ended the week with some fun relays.
Carnival
This year, we finished Challenge Week with our first ever Sedbergh School Carnival. An incredible display of sights and sounds from the world of carnival; from music, acrobatics, dancing and performances. All week, pupils have been taking part in various workshops to hone their skills across a number of different areas. We send a huge thank you to all of the external support groups who came in to school to lead these workshops, and open our eyes to the wonderful world of carnival.
CCF Navy & Army
Both our Navy and Army CCF spent a few days at training camps during Challenge Week, focusing on teamwork exercises and showcasing their problem solving skills. Our CCF Navy pupils and staff headed to Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth. A non-stop few days on assault courses, completing leadership activities and spending time out on River Dart. Our CCF Army pupils and staff were also put through their paces at Altcar Training Camp in Liverpool. Time spent on the range and working together to carry out instructions from the fantastic staff at Altcar made for a brilliant week of training.
Cheerleading
Lead by Miss Westall, our energetic bunch of pupils practised incredibly hard all week in Thornely Studio to put together a mesmerising performance at the end of Challenge Week. As well as detailed choreography, our pupils also got to grips with stunts and showing off their acrobatic skills – and trust! As rehearsals continued, our Cheerleading group performed for local community group “Tea & Company” before their big performance at the end of the week.
Derwentwater Dawdle
Over the three days of Challenge Week, three different groups of pupils have taken on the Derwentwater Dawdle with Mrs Fletcher and Mr Barnes. After a climb up Walla Crag pupils ran around the Derwentwater lake shore path around the lake completing a total of just over 9 miles. Awesome work well done, everyone!
Geology Field Work Trip
Our Lower Sixth Geology pupils headed out on their first residential trip as Dr McGowan led a trip to the Isle of Arran. Although the start to their trip didn’t quite go to plan, with high winds cancelling their original crossing, it was a quick overnight night stay and in much calmer conditions the next day, our groups of pupils and staff made their way across. As the week went on, and the weather continued to improve, our pupils completed some fantastic work and have got everything they need to continue once they return in September as Upper Sixth pupils.
Grizedale Biathlon
Another fantastic outdoor activity for our pupils was taking in the sights and sounds of the Lake District on mountain bikes and by foot. Over some tough terrain, pupils and staff covered lots of trails and discovered some of the magnificent views from Derwentwater and Whinlatter.
Hadrian’s Wall
One of our largest groups for the week, walked along the famous Hadrian’s Wall. In the short time our pupils and staff had, just 3 days, they covered as much as they could whilst learning about the wall.
Lake District Peaks
More Lake District activity for our pupils and staff, as a small group followed the route of the Lakeland 50 – a famous 50 mile run through the heart of the Lake District. Starting just south of Penrith, over the 3 days the group worked their way round, over and through various peaks in the National Park, before finishing the final bit of the route in Coniston. A fantastic effort by everyone involved.
National Three Peaks
A Challenge Week regular for Sedbergh School pupils, is taking on the National Three Peaks – Snowdon, Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis. Much like our Upper Sixth Geologists, the weather was against our pupils and staff in Scotland, meaning Ben Nevis wasn’t achievable so after a quick change of plan, the group made it to Glencoe. Thankfully, the rest of the trip went to plan, with the group conquering Snowdon and Scafell Pike on back to back days.
School of Rock
To coincide with our Carnival at the end of the week, our pupils and staff formed a fantastic 20-item band and put on a memorable show at the end of the week. It wasn’t just our pupils who were putting on a show, our staff band also put together a number of songs for the capacity crowd inside the Carnival tent. A fantastic occasion to mark a brilliant week.
Local Community Service Projects
Across the week, we had 8 different groups all dedicated to supporting our local community. From installing new, wheelchair-friendly picnic benches, to building and fitting new birdboxes and painting Morecambe Bay Foodbank, it was an extraordinary effort to cover as much work as our pupils did. Giving back is a huge part of Sedberghian life, and throughout a year, each pupil will do a minimum of two full days community work – but a lot will do much more than that.
Shooting at Bisley
Some of our Target Shooters headed to Bisley Shooting Ground, ahead of Schools Imperial Meeting this month, for some practice. For some of our pupils, it was their first time visiting so they spent this valuable time to get used to their new surroundings. It was a great week and some impressive shooting, with Year 12 pupil Carmen shooting a perfect score on her 900 yard practice.
Wild Swimming It is no secret that one of Mrs Christy’s loves is Open Water Swimming, and she shares this passion with many of our staff and pupils. Basing themselves at Rydal water, in the 3 days, over 80 pupils covered the full length of the lake.