PRESS RELEASE

CONTACT INFORMATION: LIFE Education Trust Julian Dutnall 01708 447368 ext 222 [email protected]

RELEASE DATE: 25th February 2020

EDDIE “THE EAGLE” EDWARDS TO LAUNCH THE HAVERING FESTIVAL OF EDUCATION

On 25th February 2020 we are delighted to announce that Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards will be the key speaker at our launch event for the Havering Festival of Education on Monday 23rd March at the Havering College, Ardleigh Green Road, Hornchurch.

Eddie will be launching our festival into the stratosphere and engaging our delegates into what is to be the first event of its kind in Havering. Bringing together the Local Authority, the Havering Academy of Leadership, the Primary and Secondary Teaching Schools, the Havering Colleges together with LIFE Education Trust we are providing a platform from which teachers in Havering can share best practice, gain knowledge and expertise and drive excitement into the future of our children’s education.

Born in , England, Michael Edwards, better known as Eddie 'the Eagle' Edwards, was the first competitor to represent the Great Britain and Northern Ireland team in Olympic Ski jumping. In 2016, he was portrayed by in the biographical film Eddie the Eagle, starring , which was a box office hit.

Eddie subsequently released a book called 'On the piste' and much later a song called "Fly Eddie Fly" that reached the Top 50 in the UK.

Eddie has appeared in the ITV celebrity diving programme 'Splash', where he did a synchro dive with . Due to his experience on the slopes, he has also appeared on the show 'The Jump', which focuses on 12 celebrities taking on challenging and dangerous winter sports; he uses his experience to coach the celebrities on their ski jumps and commentates on their performances.

In the words of the president of the 1988 Winter Olympics: "some competitors have won gold, some have broken records and one has even flown like an eagle".

Eddie says “I’m excited to be launching the Havering Festival of Education. It looks to be an exciting and inspiring event for teachers in Havering and Essex.”

Boilerplate

The Havering Festival of Education is designed to be one way of putting the strong educational practice in Havering on the map and is supported by the Local Authority, the Havering Academy of Leadership, the Primary and Secondary Teaching Schools, The Havering Colleges and LIFE Education Trust. We have designed our programme to create a sense of excitement, engagement and enjoyment across our educational community. We have chosen three strands for the week: Leadership, Pedagogy and Inclusion. These support the Havering Vision for Education. Participants can choose as many different kinds of sessions as they want from our extensive programme. Further details and booking is through our website. ]

Calling all teachers! Register for your FREE place now at this popular festival by visiting www.haveringfestivalofeducation.co.uk Follow us on Twitter @ HaveringEDFest

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