News from Berkhamsted School

Berkhamsted School

Adam Peaty Race Clinic goes the extra length for the community

On the 31st of August, Adam Peaty and his race clinic visited Berkhamsted School to teach 100 young swimmers how to race. As well as this, 12 coaches from three local swim clubs and Berkhamsted School received first-hand training from Adam Peaty’s skilled team.

The day began with an introduction in the Centenary Theatre, where Adam Peaty greeted the 100 swimmers and their families to give an overview of the days activities. From there, the children took part in three stations; the Swim Station, Gym Station and Racing Edge Station.

At the Swim Station, Adam led a session on “free swimming”, focusing solely on the stroke and how technique plays a major part in your success. Meanwhile, Ed Baxter, cofounder of the AP Race Clinic, led the second part of the station, looking at maximising distance and power in every stroke.

Adam’s gym coach of four years led the Gym Station, giving the swimmers an insight into swimming specific gym work. This was complemented by the Racing Edge Station, which allowed the swimmers to learn how to master their minds whilst racing.

The parents of the children were able to get involved too. The Parent Support Station allowed parents to ask questions on how to create the best experience for their children as they develop as swimmers.

It will not only be the 100 swimmers there on the day who will benefit from the expertise and passion of Adam and his race clinic team. Thanks to the new coaching skills that the 12 coaches in attendance – from Berkhamsted, Tring and Hemel swim clubs and Berkhamsted School – gained during the day, many other aspiring young swimmers will be able to experience elements of the way that Adam trains.

The day finished with a Q&A and a chance for photographs and signing with Adam.

Adam Peaty commented: “From the whole team and I, we just wanted to say a massive thank you for attending the AP Race Clinic today. Your energy was ELECTRIC, I hope you take the same energy into the 2022/2023 season just as I am!”

Thank you to Adam Peaty and his team. The day will leave a real legacy as the knowledge gained by the swimmers and coaches is handed on to the next generation of swimmers.

Barbara Wagstaff and the Excavation of the Great Ship Burial

Over the winter of 2019-2020, images from the archive at Sutton Hoo were digitised in their entirety for the first time. The images, captured by Mercie Lack and OB Barbara Wagstaff (1909), were taken during the summer of 1939 and provide a remarkable insight into the people and processes behind the excavation of the Great Ship Burial.

The collection includes original colour prints, an incredible survival from the very earliest days of the use of colour reversal film, and original 35mm Agfa Isopan F negative film. The colour prints, as far as research has shown so far, appear to be the earliest surviving original colour photographs of a major archaeological excavation. The image collection consists of photograph albums, loose black and white images and negatives. The significance of this collection has been reflected in a successful bid for internal funding as part of the National Trust’s “Collections Conservation Prioritisation (CCP)” programme to both conserve and digitise the images to ensure they survive for future generations.

The digitisation process is just the latest part of the process in caring for the image archive.

The Lack and Wagstaff photographs have been carefully catalogued over the past two years by volunteers and staff under expert guidance as part of this CCP project. Any remedial conservation work required, such as repairing small tears, was undertaken at the time and each album was housed in a bespoke portfolio folder.

Who were Lack and Wagstaff?

In both the novel and the film (The Dig 2021), the photographer working at Sutton Hoo is Rory Lomax (Johnny Flynn), a cousin of Edith Pretty. Rory Lomax is a fictional character, the real key photographers of the excavation were Mercie Lack and Barbara Wagstaff, both teachers, close friends, and serious amateur photographers. They had a keen interest in archaeology and were on holiday in the area at the time. Between the 8th and 25th August, they captured 400 images (including some very early colour images) and an 8mm cine film. Their original images were generously given to the National Trust by Mercie Lack’s great nephew, Andrew Lack. Recently these images have been carefully conserved and digitised.

Berkhamsted Schools Group pulls together for Ukraine

Many communities across the globe have responded with compassion and support in response to the devastating conflict in Ukraine. The Berkhamsted School Community has been no different, promoting two Ukrainian Relief Effort schemes co-ordinated by the humanitarian organisation Te Aud Romania, a Romanian-based charity registered in the UK.