NORTH WALSHAM STUDENTS ENJOY GIG BY RISING STAR

300 North Walsham school students enjoyed a concert by an up and coming singer-songwriter at the school’s Atrium.

Essex-born Tom Ryder performed a number of songs including his new single ‘Here We Go Again’, as well as sharing his own experiences of cyber bullying and exam pressures.

The 27-year-old described how the pressure to perform during his own schooldays led to bouts of insomnia, anxiety and depression. 

He advised students to confide in parents teachers or friends if something was worrying them.  “You need to talk to someone about it.  If you keep it within yourself, it will just grow,” he said.

Tom also shared a number of tips and strategies about staying safe online and avoiding cyber bullying, which he defines as using the internet to make people feel uncomfortable or threatened.  He called on victims of such bullying not to respond or believe in what was being said about them, and to feel confident in who they are.

“The internet and social media are great things; if I want to say something, I can get it out there,” he told the audience.  “But as soon as you put something up, it is out there.  So before you share, make sure it’s something that you’re happy for people to see.”

The performance is part of a schools tour being undertaken by Tom  to assure young people that anything is possible and that they need to not only work hard but also enjoy their time at school, rather than fearing it and being worried about the outcome of exams.

He described NWHS’s Atrium auditorium as “the nicest room I’ve played in so far in schools.”