Bristol Mayor visits Oasis Academy Brightstowe

A Shirehampton secondary academy was thrilled when Bristol Mayor, Marvin Rees, paid a special visit to their school to take part in a Q&A session and see the academy’s new wellbeing hub in action.

The Mayor answered questions from nearly 20 students and covered a range of topics including tackling racism and inequality, the city’s housing shortage and a £4bn investment in an underground rail network for Bristol.

Pupils also asked Marvin Rees what he enjoyed about being Mayor and what drives him.

Students were captivated by the Mayor’s life story and his inspirational talk about resilience, and how failure can play an important part in excelling.

When asked what the school could do to help the City of Bristol, the Mayor encouraged pupils to enter the debate by writing to MPs and letting them know what they think about issues that affect their community and the city.

During his time at the school, the Mayor also visited the academy’s wellbeing hub, Brightzone, which launched in September to provide children with a space dedicated to supporting their emotional and mental health.

Students using the wellbeing hub at the time got the chance to speak with the Mayor about their schoolwork and future aspirations.

Principal of Oasis Academy Brightstowe, Mr Alan Dane said: “Our students got so much out of the visit and were left feeling inspired to be young people who can change themselves, so they grow up to be adults who can change the world.”