Thought For The Day – Tuesday 14^th October 2025

Thank you very much to T.BS.H.S.’  Staff players, Sixth Form referee, Year 7, Year  8 and Sixth Form spectators, and student organisers, especially national “Head For Change” ambassador Fin Macfie, who is the founder and lead organiser of these matches, for yesterday’s charity football match.  

It was a very exciting match, played in a wonderful atmosphere, where everyone supported each other, with significant monies raised for the brain injury charity “Head For Change”.  Further matches will follow later this academic year, including Years 9,10 and 11.  The match yesterday was an example of community in action.  At its heart was respect.  Unity and diversity. Diversity and unity.

Items donated for our local foodbank, shortly to be collected, and “Black History Month”, taking place in October in the U.K., are further examples.  It is very important we both help those in need, and stand up to negative prejudice and negative discrimination and that, for example,  we stand up to racism and are anti-racist.   We are very grateful to Mrs. Ellen, Mrs. Matharu, and Ms. Mac. for their inspirational leadership once again, including Mrs. Ellen’s excellent assemblies last week.  These staff are offering students an opportunity to research, and create, an accurate, and a deeply researched, poster celebrating the achievements of a person of colour who showed leadership relating to the national theme of “Standing Firm in Power and Pride”.  Wonderful prizes are on offer. Of course, the greatest prize is the pride of participation in a profoundly important and vital on-going story for every day, month, and year.

Patrick Hutchinson is an example of “Standing Firm in Power and Pride”. Patrick Hutchinson, who we are hosting today, to speak with the Sixth Form and Year 10,   became particularly well-known when he rescued a counter-protestor at the “Black Lives Matter” protests of 2020.  Patrick did not do this for a photograph.  Patrick did this because it was right.  He loved his neighbour, even if his neighbour disagreed with him.  Patrick showed empathy, treating someone as he would wish to be treated.  He saw the person first.  Today, Patrick spreads a message of love and peace.

And, although, in a very different context and history in many ways, and merely the first peaceful and positive step in a precarious, but precious, process of what we hope will be many peaceful and positive steps, fully acknowledging suffering and trauma beyond words,   we saw a snapshot yesterday morning, on our television screens, of the joy and relief of love and peace beyond words, as, in a particular and global context,  leaders and people internationally worked together in community.