A MAN who almost fell to his death climbing the highest mountain in the UK is sharing tips on how to be more resilient with primary school children and their teachers.
Adventurer Paul Griffiths lost his footing and became stuck on a tiny ledge whilst negotiating the treacherous climb on Tower Ridge, Ben Nevis’s most famous climb. And that’s not the only time that the 50-year-old has diced with death – he almost froze to death in sub-zero temperatures whilst camped overnight at the Summit of Cairngorm, Scotland in Winter and, in 2016, he had a nervous breakdown.
Now, as the country gets to grips with a third national lockdown, Paul has been sharing his experiences and tips on how to be more resilient with youngsters in the Midlands.
“There has never been a more important time to take care of yourself,” said Paul, the new head of wellbeing for Progressive Sports; a business which visits primary schools across the West Midlands aiming to inspire and encourage children to be physically active.
Paul Griffiths, from Stoke, is the head of wellbeing for Progressive Sports
“Over the past 12 months, we have had our freedom taken away and maybe lost loved ones ourselves. We’ve perhaps not seen family and friends for a while so it’s more important than ever to look after ourselves mentally and physically.
“We have been creating and publishing videos on our Progressive Sports YouTube channel every week – called Wellbeing Wednesday – in which I share motivational words and stories with those who are watching. We intend to cover lots of different topics, such as life skills and mindfulness in these videos, which are available for everyone to see.
“There is a lot in the news about the mental health and wellbeing of secondary school children, but the sad fact is that primary school children have these issues, too. Around three children in every primary school has a mental health problem and many more struggle silently with every day challenges.
“The younger children tend to be a little more resilient, though, and you can distract them from their worries with tasks we do in school.”
A survey published by NHS Digital in October 2020 revealed a 50 per cent rise in mental health disorders among young people. One in six (16 per cent) of children aged five to 16 were identified as having a probable mental disorder – increasing from one in none back in 2017.
READ MORE: Why Progressive Sports believe that PE should be top of the curriculum
Paul who has, over the past seven years, shared his vision to schools throughout the UK – and also in front of school leaders at the National Association of Headteacher Conference back in 2018, added: “Right now we all need something to look forward to, whether it’s a holiday or special birthday, so we’re encouraging the children – and teachers – who we work with in schools to focus on turning their ‘down time’ into dreams.
“Everyone is fearful right now. This third lockdown is proving difficult for many and wellbeing is slipping to one side. But we want to prove that, once you realise that you’re not a victim of your own thoughts, you can do whatever you set your mind on doing.”
Progressive Sports was founded by Eddie Ray in 2006 and over the last 14 years have built up a reputation with 100’s of schools and parents across the UK for quality teaching and learning – delivered by their personable and professional team.
They offer a range of curricular and extra curricular activities into schools covering traditional and less traditional games all with the aim to inspire, engage, empower and encourage children to lead an active and healthy lifestyle.
Eddie said: “Children are less active than they were 20 years ago and our aim at Progressive Sports is to get kids moving. PE has moved on so much in the past few years and we have learned from the first lockdown how important it is for children’s mental and physical wellbeing for them to get active.
“Our sessions also aid communication, problem solving, confidence, resilience and general life skills that support the children’s development in a fun and engaging way.”
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