Head's Blog: In a Media Storm

June 21st 2019

What a busy week this has been for Mr. Sage and Jovi, who have been in the eye of a ‘positive’ media storm. While they have quite rightly taken centre stage, the boys in 4GS have also played a key role and have learnt an enormous amount from the experience. During the week, the boys have seen the media process in action, some being involved in interviews for newspapers or television, but all of them getting the inside track on how the media operates. We have all found it extremely interesting to understand how much time, care, organisation and detail goes into producing even the shortest of news items.

What has been so refreshing is that this is such a positive story in a world often filled with bad news and Brexit monotony. One central theme has been the wonderful and genuine community support for Mr. Sage and Jovi. This comes across in many ways not least of which the £20K raised for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People in 2017/18 and the warmth and affection in which Mr. Sage and Jovi are held by the boys, particularly 4GS (Mrs. Symonds is actually rather upset that no boys will want to be in 4S next year!).

This morning’s item on Good Morning Britain was streamed live in the theatre and was watched by a large crowd of boys, parents and staff with enormous excitement in a hugely supportive atmosphere. It was also spotted by an eagle-eyed Moulsford parent on the big screen in the Aer Lingus Lounge at Dublin Airport. The story has sparked significant social media interest and engagement and Mr. Sage has been slightly surprised to have been receiving fan mail. One particularly touching missive was from a 99 year-old lady whose contact with Hearing Dogs for the Deaf had lapsed. Having read about Jovi in the newspaper, she sent a lovely letter each to Graham and the charity, thanking the latter for all the help she had received over many years from her own hearing dog.

If you missed any of the coverage this week, please click on the links below for a round up: