Eddie The Eagle

I went to see it on the weekend and I was totally inspired. I smiled for the whole 90 minutes and left feeling brilliant. I’m sure you can remember him from the 80s, but just in case you can’t, he’s famous for representing Britain as a ski jumper in the 1988 Winter Olympics in the 70m and 90m events and coming last (by a very long way) in both events.

He was a much loved competitor and showed the ‘olympic spirit’ in spades; he was so happy to be there and demonstrated incredible perseverance. It made me think a lot about the journey our children are on. We can’t all be ‘first’ or the ‘best’ or in the ‘top group’ for maths. That is ok. What’s important is that we nurture our children’s self-belief. We need them to believe in themselves and to learn to never give up.

‪#‎NeverGiveUp‬
‪#‎Persevere‬
‪#‎TakePart‬
‪#‎ShowUp‬
‪#‎MyBestIsGoodEnough‬

At the closing ceremony, the president of the organising committee, Frank King, singled out Edwards for his contribution: “At these Games, some competitors have won gold, some have broken records, and some of you have even soared like an eagle.”

I really would recommend the film (and Hugh Jackman is in it too, which is a bonus). Here’s a link to the trailer