On Friday 6th November, Risedale School welcomed inspirational author, F1 TV presenter, athlete, and racing driver Billy Monger for an exclusive author workshop in the main hall.

The event brought together around 30 of Risedale’s Year 7 pupils, who were specially invited as a reward for winning a recent creative writing competition, alongside visiting pupils and staff from other local schools, co-author Seth Burkett, representatives from Macmillan Children’s Books, and The Wonky Tree Bookshop in Leyburn. 

Billy, famous for his remarkable story of determination, his motorsport career, and his appearance on BBC’s Celebrity Race Across the World, visited Catterick Garrison as part of “Operation Storytime”. As a National Year of Reading ambassador currently preparing for the 2028 Paralympic Games, Billy is touring schools across the country to demonstrate how reading can build confidence and help young people shape their futures alongside his new book, “Find Your Drive”. 

During the interactive session, Billy shared insights from his life journey, discussing how overcoming adversity shaped his mindset, why setting goals matters, and how reading and writing can help young people unlock their potential. His "Billy Whizz Challenge" presentation and candid Q&A session resonated strongly with Risedale's core values of RESPONSIBILITY, RESILIENCE, RESPECT and RELATIONSHIPS. 

Commenting on the visit, Risedale's Librarian Miss Sellers said:

"It was an absolute privilege to welcome Billy to Risedale today. Our Year 7 creative writing winners were so excited to meet him, and his message about perseverance, ambition, and finding your passion truly resonated with every single pupil in the room. Seeing our young readers and writers so energised and inspired by his story was wonderful."

#TeamRisedale 💙💜🧡❤️ #BEST

RESPONSIBILITY  RESPECT  RESILIENCE  RELATIONSHIPS