On Wednesday afternoon, we were fortunate enough to welcome Helen Fielding to speak as part of our Hale Lecture Series. Fielding is an English novelist and screenwriter, best known as the creator of the fictional character Bridget Jones. Her books follow the life of a thirty-something singleton in London trying to make sense of life and love, and were later turned into a series of films. Maddy (Year 12) began with a terrific opening speech and Leah (Year 11) closed off the event. I was joined by Orielle in (Year 11) in asking Helen a series of questions followed by a few additional questions from the audience. She took us on a journey of her career, starting from her life before writing and moving through her many accomplishments, touching on the challenges of being a woman in the industry, the criticism her writing faced, and how she overcame these obstacles. Helen spoke about the importance of female friendships in life, the impact of AI on the creative industry, and how to love yourself and your body at a young age. The talk was inspirational and extremely funny, with the biggest audience yet. An evening to remember.

Issy, Head Girl and Upper Sixth