Adventurer and explorer Ben Fogle visits St Albans school

Ben Fogle poses for a selfie with Year 13 students Ali Miles (l) and Danielle Hall (r) - photo by Danielle Hall (Image: Danielle Hall)

But last Thursday the intrepid explorer set up camp at St Albans High School for Girls to give the students an inspiring talk, as part of former headmistress Elizabeth Diggory’s memorial lectures.

Year 13 Julian House officer Danielle Hall acted as Question Master for the event and showed Ben around the school.

She said of the former Castaway contestant’s presentation: “All of our previous talks have been equally good, but he brought a fresh stance on how to follow your goals and dreams in life.

“He was different because he’s used his status to help others – a quality that the high school embraces.”

The students asked the Countrywise presenter a number of questions after hearing him talk, the best of which Danielle said was ‘what three things would you take on a desert island?’.

She said: “He spoke about his time on Castaway and that he brought a puppy. You were allowed one luxury item, so he took a puppy so he already had a friend there, because family and relationships are the most important thing in the world.

“And then he was saying that technology has advanced so much that he takes his iPad everywhere so he can Facetime his children with a polar bear in the background.

“He’s also using this as a form of education and links into classrooms to give them talks from where he is in the world.”

The 17-year-old sixth form pupil added Fogle, “a yes man”, was genuine and interested in the school and what the students had to say.

She went on: “It was an insightful talk and I’m sure it will have inspired a number of our girls at the school to do something and showed them that they can do anything they want to.”