Their success reminded me of the energy and commitment of runner Kathrine Switzer who pinned the number 261 bib to her jumper in 1967 and defied the ban on women running the Boston marathon, dispelling the myths that women could not cope with physical challenge. In yesterday’s assembly we thought about all those women – and their supporters, male and female – on whose shoulders we stand. In 2015, Switzer launched 261 Fearless, a global community for women runners of all abilities to support, encourage, and inspire each other towards a positive sense of self and fearlessness.

Speaking of fearless, our Lower V canoeists braved last weekend’s weather too, as you can see from this week’s photo: clearly the Abbey A stands for ‘active’ this week!

Wishing you a happy weekend

Jan Cresswell