English and Irish solo marathon swimmer and public speaker, Mr Ed Williams, gave an inspirational talk to Forms 3 and 6 as part of our Thursday afternoon Enrichment Programme. His main message for the children was about having a dream and doing everything you can to achieve it with a heavy focus on the importance of trying hard and having the determination to succeed. Mr Williams is also the founder of the Elite Swimming Academy.
Mr Williams based his talk around his solo English Channel swim and his recent completion of his North Channel swim between Ireland and Scotland. His presentation was hugely interactive, starting with a short film of his successful English Channel swim. After this, the floor was opened up for questions from the children to learn about the challenges and variables which make swimming the English Channel one of the ultimate personal challenges and how the children can take those teachings into their own school work.
One Form 3 child explained, “I found it really motivational that Ed told us that it had been his dream since primary school to swim the Channel.” Another Form 6 said, “It made me realise that you should not feel defeated if you do not initially succeed but to keep persevering and maintain a positive mindset to help you achieve your goals.”