“Gender is no longer a mountain that cannot be scaled”

On Tuesday 2nd July, we were delighted to welcome the BGS community for a succession of Prize Giving events, hosted in the beautiful marquee setting within the school grounds.

The Prize Giving events celebrated the success of students from Year 7 up to Upper Sixth, who have gone above and beyond this year.

The prizes ranged from Academic Excellence to Citizenship. Throughout the day, the different year groups celebrated with their peers and enjoyed refreshments and cakes on the lawn, which created a lovely atmosphere for all in attendance. All students engaged in the celebrations as they wrote their personal ‘Bold, Imaginative and Reflective’ reflections on tags displayed beautifully on boards near the entrance of the marquee. This has become a tradition at BGS, where the boards are displayed outside the Headmistress’s office for visitors to view throughout the year.

During each ceremony the students were treated to wonderful musical and speech and drama performances from their cohort before listening to an address from BGS Headmistress Mrs Gibson, which reflected on the BGS values, in particular, the importance of always being ‘Bold’.

A lively and full marquee saw the Years 11-Upper Sixth prize winners, parents, governors and BGS staff in attendance for the final ceremony, with our special guest speaker and Dame Alice Harpur School alumna, Fay Manners (2005) delivering an inspirational speech about her career as a data scientist and professional mountaineer. Following school, Fay went on to study Business Studies and Information Management at Loughborough University before embarking on a career in Business Intelligence. The call of the mountains has never been far away for her and gradually Fay has managed to balance her love of alpinism with her working life.

Fay started her speech by expressing her honour at being the guest speaker in the school that has shaped much of who she is. Fay then mentioned that she was not only here to share her journey with the students but also to inspire them to embark on their own journeys with courage and determination. She then moved on to the beginning of her young adult journey and said: “I owe this school a great debt of thanks for giving me an education that eventually led to a position in one of the UK’s largest and most successful PLCs. However, what I really loved about here was the opportunity in sports.”

Fay’s love of climbing was sparked by a friend in New York, who took her to an indoor bouldering wall. She was hooked immediately by this new challenge and the thrill it gave her. She then said: “What I have taken away from this school when I left is the appreciation of the independence and strength of women. For many years, I had only climbed with men in a male-dominated sport. In 2022, my best friend Lina and I did the first female ascent of the ‘Phantom Direct’ on the south face of the Grandes Jorasses in Mont Blanc.”

Fay ended her speech with a few lessons she has learned in business intelligence and mountaineering. She said: “Embrace your curiosity for the unknown, whether you are analysing data, plotting a route up a mountain, a doctor finding a cure for your patients, or a business leader making strategic decisions; curiosity leads to discovery, perseverance is key. Be adaptable, as life, much like the weather in the mountains, is unpredictable. Finally, follow your passion with purpose, and pursue what you love with all of your heart.”

View a collection of photos on our Flickr gallery here. 

Prize Giving programmes

Years 7 and 8, view here.

Years 9 and 10, view here.

Years 11-Upper Sixth, view here.