A SPECIAL award has been given to a former Hanley Castle High School student for his remarkable contribution to the school and the wider community.
The Lechmere Medal, which was first presented in 1923, was presented to Jack Walton on Thursday (September 15) at the school’s annual Celebration of Achievement in recognition of his sustained commitment to the school and beyond.
Jack has been described as one of the ‘most exceptional’ students the school has ‘ever seen’ after gaining excellent A-level results which secured his place at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester where he will study rural land management.
He was also head boy for a year from Easter 2015 after gaining the highest proportion of votes ever polled by a candidate.
Jack was involved in four school productions – Oliver, We Will Rock You, Grease and Our House – as well as singing in choirs, playing a central role in fund-raising, stunning guests at the school’s Grand Spring Ball with his unique auctioneering style as well as spearheading the Duke of Edinburgh team.
However, his successes extend beyond the academic scene as he lambed his first sheep on his grandparents’ farm at the age of four, owned his own flock of sheep since the age of ten and runs his own business buying and selling Suffolks – a breed of sheep.
Jack, who has worked with BBC’s Adam Henson, is also a volunteer steward at the Royal Three Counties Show and has been its Young Blogger since 2012 – with followers nationwide and in more than 25 countries across the globe.
Her Royal Highness Princess Anne, patron of the Royal Three Counties, also met Jack in recognition of his contribution to the farming community.
Lindsey Cooke, headteacher at Hanley Castle High School, said: “Jack is everything that we could possibly wish for in a Hanley Castle student.
“He has a unique ability as a communicator, and his infectious enthusiasm has already had an enormous impact on young people locally and on the international stage. He is, without exaggeration, the Lechmere Medal personified.
“I think it is really important to stress that our Celebration of Achievement celebrates the success of all our students – and only celebrates their achievements so far.
“With so many of our alumni gaining first class degrees from universities such as Oxford, Durham and Warwick, the sky really does seem to be the limit.
“We very much hope that this evening proves to be another inspirational step along the route to every students’ dreams.”
Jack made the Observer headlines earlier this year after he visited 25 livestock markets across the country during the summer hoildays to raise money for the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution and the RSABI (formerly known as the Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution), who support the farming communities in times of financial difficulty.
