We were delighted that adventurer and broadcaster Ben Fogle spent this morning with us.
In addition to being a well-known television presenter and author, Ben holds numerous other notable roles including as a fellow of the Royal Geographic Society, ambassador to WWF, Tusk and Hearing Dogs for the Deaf and Patron of The Red Cross and United Nations.
During his time at Benenden he led the whole school assembly before running three separate Q&A sessions for different year groups. He then held a book-signing for pupils during morning break.
Ben shared stories of some of his many adventures, including climbing Everest and rowing across the Atlantic, and spoke about the importance of overcoming adversity, citing his own experiences of swimming with crocodiles, contracting a flesh-eating bug and capsizing in the middle of the Atlantic.
He urged girls to challenge themselves and spoke about the value of taking risks.
Perhaps the most compelling message was when he told the girls that one of the most important things in life is to learn that nothing comes easy and that you need to put in the effort in order to succeed.
After signing dozens of books and posing for numerous pictures with pupils and staff, Ben said of his morning at Benenden: “I loved talking to the girls and hearing their questions and I hopefully inspired them with my wild tales!”