Thought For The Day – Thursday 25th September 2025
Communication
At the midway point, and just over, of our Languages Week at T.B.S.H.S., these were yesterday’s date in five different languages for your five lessons:
Spanish: miércoles, 24 de septiembre de 2025
Italian: mercoledì 24 settembre 2025
Portuguese: quarta-feira, 24 de setembro de 2025
Romanian: miercuri, 24 septembrie 2025
Swedish: onsdag 24 september 2025
It was brilliant to have Romanian and Spanish speakers in a Year 8 class Period 4 yesterday. A particularly high-level point was made by the former student who said there are similarities between these, and other, European languages.
Language is an important aspect of communication. And it is essential that communication is good, fair, and truthful. This equally involves listening to the good communication of others. This is vital for our lives and the world.
Mr. John Stapleton did all these things and more. John Stapleton, a fine communicator, passed away, of Parkinson’s disease, from this life on Sunday 21st September 2025.
Mr. Stapleton showed great grace, positivity, and resilience after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in the last year, raising awareness of a degenerative neurological condition which affects the brain, communication, energy, movement and swallowing.
John Stapleton was an award-winning journalist and presenter. He worked, at various times, for BBC, ITV, Sky News and LBC Radio, after formative years in local and national newspapers. John Stapleton, a global citizen, reported from various areas in the world, including, for example, from wars, hurricanes and tragedies.
Mr. Stapleton was respected as an authentic, authoritative, ego-less, genuine, good-humoured, humble, respectful and relaxed communicator and person. “Honest John” was moral and had integrity. Mr. Stapleton was married to Lynn Faulds Wood, who passed away from this life in 2020. Lynn, presenting with John on the programme “Watchdog”, focussed on consumer rights, holding companies to account and standing up for ordinary people against individuals in power not acting responsibility. John and Lynn, pictured below, now reunited in the next life, were the dream presenting team. Journalism worthy of its name in standing up for ethics, justice, morality and truth. Wonderfully, their son, Nick, also an award-winning journalist, continues the legacy and work of his parents in this area today, particularly in raising awareness of scams and exploitation.
John Stapleton supported Manchester City, both in the challenging times of the 1980s,1990s and the early part of the 2000s, and in their glittering moments of the 1970s, late 2000s, 2010s and 2020s. Earlier this week, Manchester City paid tribute to Mr. Stapleton. As did Oldham Athletic Football Club. Oldham, in Lancashire, was the place of John Stapleton’s birth and upbringing. He never forgot his roots.
On Monday, expressing appreciation, one viewer of “Good Morning Britain” described Mr. Stapleton as: “knowledgeable and respectful”. Another viewer communicated that Mr. Stapleton was: “fearless yet balanced, warm yet incisive, an ethical broadcaster to the end – what a legacy”. Further tributes from presenters on the programme said being such a lovely person made Mr. Stapleton such a great broadcaster.
This week, it was said John Stapleton, who was also described by so many as thoroughly nice and good, great and a legend, had time for everybody.
And that included The Bishop’s Stortford High School. Mr. Stapleton visited our school many years ago to talk with the Sixth Form in Citizenship (then called General Studies).
