Heatherton inspired by athlete Nerys Pearce

Last Friday, pupils at Heatherton were visited by a very special athlete: wheelchair skier, swimmer, racer (to name a few of her sports) Nerys Pearce. Nerys led a fun fitness session for every pupil, and then spoke about how she learned to overcome challenges with a positive attitude. 

Nerys is a para-athlete with nine world records and forty-three international records. After being injured on her motorcycle, Nerys was left paralysed from the chest down and was unable to lead the same active lifestyle in her army role as before. However, this has not stopped her from conquering new heights: from competing in the Commonwealth games to wheelchair ski racing and marathon swimming, she proves that there is nothing that you cannot do with resilience and a positive mindset.  

Nerys visited Heatherton not only to share her story, but to inspire every pupil to find enjoyment in movement. She first ran a fun fitness circuit, which saw every pupil all the way from nursery through to Year 6 busy with exploding star jumps, shoulder taps, and spotty dogs. There was no rest for our pupils! Luckily, they were enthusiastically cheered on by Nerys’ infectious energy, alongside chants from fellow years who were waiting for their turn. “The noise was incredible!” Head of PE, Katie Pickering commented. 

Once Heatherton were effectively tired out, Nerys spoke to the whole school in an engaging and inspiring talk. She talked about how difficult she found school, and later, how difficult it was to work through her paralysing injury. However, her message was clear: by pushing herself, she had been able to work through these difficult moments in life and become stronger. Chants of ‘push yourself’ rang through the hall, and Nerys encouraged every pupil at Heatherton to do the same.  

“We were incredibly lucky to welcome Nerys Pearce to Heatherton on Friday as part of the Great Athletes programme. She delivered an inspiring assembly of her story, from education to the army, and how her life changed following her accident and her outstanding sporting career since,” commented Katie. 

“The main message was to keep pushing and never give up, and this is true in every aspect of school life. What an excellent message for all our pupils to carry forward!” 

This was a wonderful visit to not only show the value of accessible, active exercise but for Heatherton to hear from a truly inspirational woman. Thank you to Nerys for visiting- we are sure to see girls pushing themselves much more in class and beyond from here on in.