Guinness World Record breaker and Sunday Times bestselling author, David Thomas, has visited St Edward’s School, Poole, as part of his tour across the county to help students use their memories more effectively.
Former firefighter turned Guinness World Record breaker and Sunday Times bestselling author, David Thomas, visited St Edward’s School to provide a series of motivational presentations as part of an educational tour organised by Strategic Solutions on Friday 27th September.
David Thomas, AKA the ‘Memory Man’, worked with students from Years 9 to 13 throughout the day and provided advice on how to use memory techniques in retaining learning over time. The staff of St Edward’s School also had the opportunity to take part in a workshop with David after the school day had finished and learned more about the extraordinary capacity of the human brain.
David achieved a Guinness World Record when he recited pi to 22,500 places and holds a world memory record for memorising 100 shuffled packs of playing cards. He is also the author of a best-selling autobiography, ‘Tell Me Why, Mummy’, which recounts how he was abused by his alcoholic mother and her husband as a child. At the age of 16, he committed a series of criminal offences and was expelled from school. He then joined the fire service but struggled to pass his exams. David’s life began to turn around when he watched someone on TV memorise a pack of playing cards. This inspired him to borrow a library book about memory which he used to develop the skills which would lead him to become a world record holder and even gain a television appearance on Oprah.
Speaking on David’s visit to St Edward’s, Headteacher Michael Antram said:
“I would like to extend a huge thanks to Strategic Solutions for coordinating and funding this special educational tour. David is a very inspirational person and we were delighted to welcome him to St Edward’s School. His insights were fascinating, and will have helped our students to harness the amazing power of their brains, in developing skills for life”
David said:
“I thoroughly enjoyed my time working with the students of St Edward’s School. Thanks to Strategic Solutions investment, I’ve been able to provide local students across the county with life-changing information that they otherwise would not have. I wish the students of St Edward’s every success with their futures, and especially those who have examinations next year.”
St Edward’s School is a joint church school between the Roman Catholic Diocese of Plymouth and the Church of England Diocese of Salisbury. Their focused teaching approach has built St Edward’s School a reputation for developing talented young people who are equipped for all aspects of life.
For more information on St Edward’s School, visit: https://website. network.st-edwards.poole.sch. uk/
