Dare To Be Different With Clare Balding

Published by Dauntsey's on Wednesday 17th of January 2024

There was not a seat spare in the Memorial Hall, as the first speaker of the Spring Term took to the stage.  Clare Balding was one of the most highly anticipated speakers that Dauntsey’s has welcomed, and she did not disappoint.

Upper Sixth Pupil, Beatrix F, says:

In all of my time at Dauntsey’s School, and my personal experiences within the racing world, I believe that I can safely say that Clare Balding is one of the most inspiring and fantastic speakers I have ever witnessed. Throughout her talk, Clare maintained a conversational and relaxed manner, exploring her earliest childhood memories such as her early days on a horse and her troublesome activities at Downe House School in Berkshire, where she became Head Girl. She then led her attentive audience through her first 10 years of work with the BBC, her later work at the Olympics, where she gave personal insight to the technical logistics of TV presenting, and she explored her contributions in supporting women within sport.  Clare engaged in a lively Q&A session, answering all questions with consideration and confidence, and then invited the audience to a for book signing, personally meeting and chatting with many people.

Not only did she speak so humbly about herself, but Clare gave thoughtful insights and advice to the pupils of Dauntsey’s, and she concluded with her eight most important values: be confident, prepared, flexible, kind, honest, relax when things go wrong, smile and have fun, and dare to be different! Clare’s talk was greatly inspiring to the hundreds that attended, demonstrating her true brilliance and her many talents.