On Wednesday we were visited by an inspirational athlete: Ben Smith. During assembly, Ben told us how he had been bullied at school and had a stroke when he was 29. He started running aged 31 and found the running community to be somewhere he felt comfortable and accepted. He went on to complete a staggering 401 marathons in 401 days, which, he told us, is like running from Tannery Drift to Sydney. Following his experiences at school, he now raises money for anti-bullying charities.

The children had the chance to ask questions, which included what his favourite ice cream flavour is and how many pairs of trainers he got through when he ran all of those marathons (27).

All the children then had the chance to run, jog or walk laps of the field with him. Ben was impressed by our children’s behaviour and athletic skills.