BEFORE YOU GO
Inspiring positivity
It was Children’s Mental Health Week in February; and school students were told
a true tale of how resilience and positive thinking changed the life of a man who
nearly died as a teenager – and how it could change theirs, too.
I
n 2006, after returning from a
school trip abroad, Anthony
Bennett fell extremely ill with three
viral infections targeting his lungs.
His parents were told he had a 10%
chance of survival and he needed to be
resuscitated and brought back to life
12 times during a seven-week stay at
Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).
After making a full recovery and
relearning how to walk, talk and breathe
again without the aid of machines, he
was asked to help GOSH raise funds
by talking about his experiences.
Although nervous, he did it – and he
has not looked back since. He is now a
motivational speaker who, among other
things, visits local schools to give talks
and hold workshops for pupils.
Recently he returned to his old
school, Greenford High, where he
held talks during the course of a whole
week with different age groups.
“Going through my traumatic
30
around ealing April/May 2019
experience and then overcoming my
fear of public speaking taught me a
lot about myself and gave me a very
positive outlook on life,” he told us.
Anthony is also a keen
photographer and won Around
Ealing’s autumn 2018 Seasons of
Ealing photography competition (see
ealingnewsextra.co.uk/gallery).
‘STRENGTH TO BELIEVE IN
THEMSELVES’
He shares his own experiences with
students to help them to think about their
lives differently, how to stay motivated
and to think positively about themselves.
He tackles bullying, procrastination, social
media, dealing with setbacks and being
resilient in the face of challenges.
“Feedback from pupils often expresses
how it has made them think differently
about things,” said Anthony. “It’s given
them strength to believe in themselves
and to see life with a new perspective.”
Jeremy Dudman Jones, assistant
headteacher at Greenford High, said:
“Rarely can a speaker hold the audience
so intently for such a long time but
Anthony’s message was listened to
by all our young adults with respect,
enthusiasm and wide-eyed wonder. The
change in people’s attitudes afterwards
was palpable and clear.”
Councillor Yvonne Johnson, Ealing
Council’s cabinet member for schools
and children’s services, said: “We all
have a role to play in supporting young
people through difficult times and,
more generally, in helping them to
find self-belief.
“I was pleased to hear about these
talks and the genuinely inspirational
effect they appear to have had on
pupils’ outlook.”
Read the full story and an interview
with Anthony – and watch a
video – at ealingnewsextra.co.uk/
features/positive