Yearly Life at Somerhill

Swiftie makes a mark on Somerhill pupils!

Darren Swift (Swifty) visited Somerhill on Monday 28th April, to discuss one of our school values: resilience. He shared his story of how he became a double above-knee amputee. Whilst he was in recovery, he saw himself in the mirror for the first time and decided he had two options - continue to let the nurses care for him, or, by showing resilience and 'digging deep', he could take control of his life and make the most of his situation. He then embarked on several challenges, including riding long distances across Alaska, sky diving and becoming the first double above-knee snowboarding competitor and instructor in the world, despite encountering many people who doubted him due to his disability.

The children had a chance to ask him many questions and examine his prosthetics, wheelchair, and adapted snowboard closely. The first question he was asked by one of our pre-prep pupils was, 'Is Taylor Swift your favourite artist?' Aren't children the best?!