It’s been another great week for New Bridge (except for football i.e. a derby we should have won without doubt and that Middlesbrough draw – Guardiola, I hope you’re reading this, sort it out fella, come on!!) Anyway, away from the football on Wednesday myself, Suhan, Lewis, Aaron, Jake and Nathan made the 5am start to travel down to Worcester to compete in the national wheelchair basketball finals! It was a tough competition but the team battled through with courage and determination to win a few games and come 6th in the country. Well done to my teammates and remember, we’re still the best in the North West!

As the countdown to the exams gets closer for a few of us, lots of revision is going in the mind. It’s hard work but I’m ready and composed to succeed and I’m not letting anything get in my way.

Some staff are taking part in a charity bike ride from Oldham to Halifax to raise funds for Andy’s Man Club. I recently have been advertising the group in my hometown and on social media, reminding people that there is a place to go and talk. There will be a group starting next Monday at Oldham Leisure centre at 7pm. I feel from being part of the group it has benefited me a lot, from suffering with depression myself, being tossed and turned with counselling from the NHS and having to spend the night in hospital, I feel the group has helped me a lot and it is okay to talk. Join the conversation, remove that stigma or even just listen and remember #ITSOKAYTOTALK. Good luck to those guys doing the bike ride!

Friday is always a good day at New Bridge with high spirits and me shouting ‘Happy Friday!’ to everybody at dinner time! In assembly, we said goodbye to one of the longest serving members of our staff, Mrs Whiteley – we wish you all the best in all of your future endeavours and hope you enjoy your retirement! Also, Mr Bright told us about a survey around e safety to see if people have the knowledge of how to use the internet safely. I’ll be one of those who take the survey and I recommend others do too!!

That’s it for this week. To expand on some stuff, I have gone through rough times in my life and some downs but the one thing that convinced me to talk was that if there are people out there who are going through the same thing, they see they aren’t alone and there is somewhere you can always go. That’s what I found in Andy’s Man Club, even icons go through it like Stormzy, Prince Harry and Ricky Hatton – you’re never alone #ITSOKAYTOTALK

Have a great week!

Jack