School Testimonials

Jeremy is open, engaging, warm and witty. I booked Jeremy to speak to deliver his ‘Keeping Sane in an Insane World’ talk for the second time to our secondary pupils and staff. He was a hit both times as the students appreciated his candid style, humour and insight and all felt a personal connection with him as he told his story. They trusted his point of view and found the talk all the more poignant in lockdown. Both staff and students fed back to say they found it inspiring and ‘very important to hear’ (Year 10 student). Occasionally pupils can find advice patronising but this was not the case at all with Jeremy. They held onto his messages and are using the strategies and toolkits readily. Will definitely be bringing Jeremy back to speak again.

Fiona Parsons, King Alfred’s School Assistant Head (Personal Development & Wellbeing) Head of PSHE February 2021

Jeremy’s life and talk was inspiring. He had the students engaged from the very first minute to the last. Students were given practical tips of recognising mental illness and he offered simple tips to help cope or deal with mental illness that will serve them well moving forward into the most stressful times of their lives.

Mr Jonathan Cantrill, Head of History, Ratcliffe College

Jeremy was truly an inspirational speaker to attend school today. From the outset, his wit and informal approach had the boys ‘on-side’ and utterly enthralled at his talk. Here was someone who has the experience and erudition to speak to the pupils and yet never preach, a rare quality in a speaker. His talks were incredibly well received, interlaced with practical and heartfelt tips, generating discussion amongst the students for the remainder of the day. The dominant theme was ‘why cannot more speakers be like Mr Thomas?’ Quite – he is a rare type of speaker and his message is poignant and vital for all ages from Year 7-13. We were incredibly grateful for his presence in school: professional, humorous and delivering a powerful message. Cannot recommend him highly enough. Many thanks!

Lloyd Charman, The Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School Elstree

This is a raw and emotional look at Mental Health issues and the huge impact they can have on people’s lives. Jeremy delivered training to our entire staffing body at UTC Reading equipping colleagues with a toolkit of strategies to help in support those in our charge who are struggling with issues ranging from anxiety and high stress levels to bipolar disorder.

Daniel Sydes, Deputy Head UTC Reading

Jeremy’s talk was extremely engaging, informative and funny; especially dealing with such a serious subject matter. He was able to draw from his personal struggles to provide an uplifting talk to our Year 13 students, who not only thoroughly enjoyed it but got so much out of the experience. He discussed key topics for young adults such as stress, the importance of resilience, self-esteem and routine, which supported their understanding of mental health and well-being.

Fiona Templeton, Assistant Principal, Harris Westminster Sixth Form

Thank you for coming to talk at Brighton and Hove High School. The girls all thought it was a really engaging talk and came out inspired and enthused by what you said.

Wendy Fox, Deputy Head, Brighton & Hove High School

The girls were all talking about how inspiring they found Jeremy and how much the fact that it was his own story made it so interesting.

Mrs Hannah Harvey, Head of Years 12 & 13 – Sutton High School

Jeremy came to Oundle to talk to a year 11 group about good mental health and the response was extremely positive. The pupils appreciated his honest and forthright delivery and clearly recognised some of the signs of stress that he was able to identify from his own experience. Teenagers often find it difficult to relate to anyone giving advice, but Jeremy’s approach provided an excellent platform to develop further valuable discussions on ways in which young people can ensure that they are better prepared for the stresses and strains of their formative years. An invaluable addition to any PSHE programme.

Marianne Smith, Housemistress and Head of PSHE, Oundle School

Thank you so much for your time and inspirational talk yesterday. Having spoken to both staff and students I know how much they have gained from the time they spent with you. They all commented on how engaging and thought-provoking you were but, crucially, how practical your suggestions were. I think your personal insight enhanced their grasp of the subject matter and will stay with them for a very long time.

Mr. Keith Hales, Headteacher – Beaminster School, Dorset

Thank you so much for coming to speak to our L6th on Monday, the feedback was as before, excellent, and we hope you will be able to come and speak to them again next year?

Meg Fitzgerald, Reeds School

Thanks for a great talk this morning: really positive feedback from staff and girls. Really good to get them laughing when dealing with a heavy topic.

Katie Banks, Sixth Form Administrator – Guilford High

Jeremy spoke with engagement about keeping mentally well- his own life story made his talks impactful. Jeremy spoke to a variety of age groups in school and pitched the content just right- all of our students found the talk useful and it complemented our Wellbeing Week perfectly. Parents, staff and students all left his talks armed with a mental health toolkit and a set of tent pegs to apply to their daily lives, which everyone felt was needed to help get through lockdown.

Wendy Fox, Deputy Head, Head of Classics Brighton Girls GDST February 2021

An inspirational speaker who connected with and engaged his audience from start to finish. The message of hope from a place of mental despair shone through and Jeremy told his story with refreshing honesty and humour. The students were incredibly appreciative of the opportunity to hear the message and see mental health as something we need to care for and look after in the same way we recognise physical injuries.

Mr Michael Lambert, Head of Geography, Ratcliffe College

Witty, poignant, deeply personal yet sound and practical, Jeremy’s approach is to bring the subject of mental health into the open, not to hide it away and hope it disappears. Reflecting on his own experiences, he engages his audience before outlining a clear, clean and user-friendly ‘dashboard’ for good mental health. Without simplifying a complex issue, he presents in such a way as to ensure that all participants can reflect on their own mental health without fear of judgement or stigma. Moreover, he reminds us that the glass is always half full!

Mr Tom Arrand MA, Deputy Head, Haberdashers’ Monmouth School for Girls

Jeremy’s visit to BGS has been a great success. He is a compelling speaker with considerable experience and wisdom drawn from his professional and personal life…he shared his own story with parents and pupils and gave advice on practical measures to combat poor mental health and deal with depression, anxiety and stress. The feedback has been excellent.

Jane Chapman, Assistant Head (Pastoral), Bradford Grammar School

Jeremy Thomas’ talk was fantastic. He was wonderfully engaging, disarmingly honest, and full of very sound and practical advice. Whilst he deals with a desperately serious subject, his sense of humour is evident throughout. In talking to our pupils it is clear that they thoroughly enjoyed what Jeremy had to say and derived considerable and genuine benefit from it.

Andrew Hobbs, Deputy Headmaster of Downside School

How to Stay Sane in an Insane World was the highlight of the Key Stage 4 and Sixth Form assembly programme last year. Jeremy Thomas’s story telling resonated with the teenage audience and opened up challenging issues for discussion in an honest and engaging fashion.

Dr Stuart Bond, Deputy Head St Catherine’s School Athens

On behalf of St Joseph’s College, I would like to thank you once again for coming to the College to share your expertise and experience on “Good Mental Health”. Your thought provoking and informative talk has educated and inspired both our staff and pupils; you have been the talk of the school! I am in process of rewriting our Scheme of work on PSHE, and Mental Health and Wellbeing will feature more prominent in all year groups from September. I look forward to welcoming you again to St Joseph’s in the not too distant future.

Mr Mark Bushby, Deputy Head Pastoral at St Joseph’s College

Very entertaining and informative. It is useful to hear advice from someone who has been through the experience…A reminder to try to pace myself and say ‘No’.

Manor Lodge Staff

Thank you so much for coming down to visit us last night, you were a great speaker on a very tricky topic ( one that needs to be addressed with many teenagers now) and you gave the girls much to think about in such a humorous way. The feedback from the girls to the house staff upon their return was very positive and I know they appreciated your ‘dashboard help desk’ idea.

Susan Bosher, Wellbeing Co-ordinator, Benenden School

Jeremy Thomas came to speak during our Mental Health Week at school. He spoke to our 4th form students who study various Mental Health Issues. Jeremy was a very engaging, funny and informative speaker who captured our pupils attention with his life stories and real life issues through his Manic depression. The pupils found him to be a great speaker and were interested in how it affected his career and personal life. Jeremy was very good at pitching his talk at the right level so that the pupils got the most out of his presentation. He also concluded our MHW in our chapel and addressed the whole school about what he thought was important in life and that self-esteem is crucial to ensure people can deal with any issue that they are faced with. We will definitely book him again next year. Thank you.

Mrs Sue Bruce, Head of PSE, Fettes College

It’s always SUCH a pleasure to have you talk to the …. and I know your words will really have a positive effect with the students!

Aylin Hutchins, PSHE – Bristol Grammar School