Polar explorer inspires Peterborough school children

An Arctic explorer inspired Peterborough school children with tales of his adventures in the frozen north.

Adventurer, explorer, naturalist and TV presenter, Dwayne Fields FRGS, spent an afternoon inspiring an excited class of Year 6 primary school children at Longthorpe Primary School about how to overcome challenges and follow your dreams.

Dwayne, originally from Jamaica who settled in the UK when he was six years old, is the first black British man to make it to the North Pole. He kindly gave up his time for free to give a talk and Q&A session for the Year 6 pupils who have been learning about famous explorers.

Dwayne’s ethos is ‘breaking the norm, breaking expectations, inspiring others to explore a life outdoors’ and this is exactly what he did in the time he spent at Longthorpe Primary, part of Peterborough Keys Academies Trust.

The school asked him to tell his story and aim to inspire the children to persevere when things get tough.

Mrs Kate Trethewy, headteacher of Longthorpe Primary School said: “Today our children learnt first-hand from Dwayne about how your background and the challenges you face in life should not prevent you from living your dream and pushing boundaries. We enjoyed his story about overcoming adversity and still being able to make a difference and follow your dreams. The children were so inspired that I now think we have a whole classroom of mini explorers!”

She added: “Hearing from motivating and inspirational people, such as Dwayne can bring crucial learning beyond the curriculum. If they take one thing away from his talk, that will mean so much.”

Dwayne who has made Peterborough his home said: “I am always inspired by this quote, ‘go confidently in the direction of your dream. Live the life you've imagined’ by Henry David Thoreau. Encouraging young people from all backgrounds to learn more about the outdoors is a great way of getting them to appreciate it for all the benefits it has, and in doing so, I know they'll work to protect it for future generations.”