Rugby star lays down a challenge to pupils
On the rugby pitch, Jamie Peacock captained both England and Great Britain and yesterday he was at Academy 360 in Pennywell to speak with children and launch the school’s Be a Champion initiative to promote well-being and maximising potential.
Jamie, who also played for Bradford Bulls and Leeds Rhinosduringadistinguishedtrophy-laden career, spoke with pupils about the significance of both physical and mental well-being in has career and challenged the children to set their own goals and targets as part of the 30-day programme.
Relaying the mantra to “be the best version of yourself ”, pupilssetthemselvesarangeof initialchallengesbasedaround punctuality, extra-curricula participation, positivity and participation in lessons.
FollowingJamie’sassembly, the pupils also set themselves targets to improve their mentalandphysicalwell-beingoutside of school.
In a month’s time, Jamie will be returning to the school to see what progress the children have made and to work with smaller groups of pupils.
He said: “Be a champion is allaboutbeingthebestyoucan beinalldifferentaspectsoflife by making a few small changes. There’s definitely a mental side to success in terms of developing good habits of selfdiscipline.
"A big barrier to children and young people can be a lack of self-belief and I want to relay the message that they can
be a success. I wasn’t the most talented player but there were certain things I did which allowed me to be the best I could be. These were principles which enabled me to be successful in my rugby career and can be transferred to all aspects of life.”
Jamie hopes his achievements on the pitch can help inspire a new generation.
He added: “I’m fortunate in that it is probably easier to get the pupils’ respect because of whatIachievedinsportbutthe messages you deliver still have to be right ones. t’s all about planting those seeds which theycanusefortherestoftheir lives.”