At secondary school a fair bit of teasing goes on. At Hope Valley College there were the usual fun and light-hearted rivalries between the villages, and one thing I remember being teased about was coming from Edale... but I could never understand why! Any remarks I received, that were intended to be a snub, never bothered me. I was proud to be from Edale and to have come from Edale primary school. Yes, it was small, but that meant that we were able to feel the support of the entire village community behind us as we grew up, allowing us to mature with confidence. No, it didn't receive the benefits and resources of a larger, richer school, but that didn't stopped many of it's students going on to achieve great things on both local and global scales.
The incredible (and still ongoing) friendships I formed with the three other pupils in my year, as well as those with the students in the years below and above me, were key to how comfortable and happy I felt while I was there. We all share small yet wonderful memories - Sean the bus driver's Extra Strong Mints, Mr Irwin singing 'There's a worm at the bottom of the garden', Mrs Widowson's cosy reading voice - which bring us the pleasant pangs of nostalgia whenever we're reminded of them. And being young you aren't aware, but those friendships also helped our parents get to know each other, paving the way for all the amazing village activities I took for granted as a kid, like pantomimes, jazz festivals and tennis tournaments.
My proudest moments came when representing the school at inter-village sporting events, and in particular, the Hope Wakes football tournament win in my final year. It never made a difference that we had as many in our school as Bamford and Hathersage had in one year group, we still competed at the same level, and in this competition, came out as champions after a golden goal with the last kick of the game!