Inspiring the next generation, this International Women’s Day
PGRC member and Head of 6th Form at Leweston School, Matthew, recently took inspiration from his first foray down to Saltash for the Three Rivers Race, to host an International Women’s Day assembly to 6th Form students, where a certain Ann Glanville was topic of conversation. Relatively new to rowing himself, the Three Rivers Race was the first time he learned about the story of Ann Glanville, so we asked Matthew what he learned and why he felt inspired to pass on the story to his students.
How and when did you first hear about the Ann Glanville story?
I first heard about Ann Glanville while I was in Saltash for the 3 Rivers race on 8th March 2025 (just my 2nd regatta as a competitive rower!).
After we’d got Pulpit Rock off the trailer and into the water, we all wandered along the waterfront to find a spot to set up the PGRC camp where Jenny B happily told me that she had already got a photo of Ann Glanville. At this point, I didn’t know who she was but I was intrigued to know more about this local celebrity. Until that point, the most famous person I knew who had links to the Tamar area was Isambard Kingdom Brunel whose bridge I have crossed for decades on holidays to Cornwall, and whose bridge I would be now rowing under in PGRC colours!
So, having set up camp, I was taken to see Ann Glanville (the statue) elegantly sat looking out over the water just a few metres away from IBK’s own statue.
There were lots of people around the bench so I didn’t have a chance to press the button on her dress to hear her story at that point, so I used my phone to read a bit about her incredible life and achievements as a female rower in the 19th century.
What I read down in Saltash inspired me to find out more, so when I arrived home, I did a bit more digging and read more about this inspirational woman.
Why do an assembly on Ann Glanville?
By coincidence, as the 3 Rivers race was on 8th March, I ‘met’ Ann Glanville on International Women’s Day and it occurred to me that she would be a perfect subject for an assembly I was due to give to my sixth form students about this day of celebration and recognition of women.
For me, Ann represents how, when faced with challenges and difficult circumstances (having to pick up her waterman husband’s oars to continue earning money to clothe and feed their children after he fell ill), an ordinary woman can do extraordinary things. Her determination and perseverance in difficult times can be an inspiration to us all.
However, I also wanted to convey to my students (I work in a mixed school), that Ann, whose all-female crew were said to have held their own against, and often beaten, men’s teams here and in France, was an example of how we should move away from gender stereotypes and traditional, outdated societal expectations about what men and women should or shouldn’t be able to do.
For me, this assembly was an opportunity to use Ann to break down those barriers and remove those restrictions, saying to all students that they could be who they wanted to be, and if they put their minds to it, they shouldn’t let old fashioned ideas about gender biases or prejudices stop them.
What was in your assembly presentation?
I used a Powerpoint that included images (old paintings, photos, drawings) of Saltash as a naval port, rowing in the 19th century, modern regatta racing on the Tamar for the 3 Rivers race, and of course, of Ann Glanville herself.
I also included images of Caradon’s boat – the Ann Glanville – which I saw on the day, explaining to the students what pilot gigs were and how different clubs gave their beloved boats names that had special meanings. So, it was also an opportunity for me to talk about the sport of gig rowing – a subject about which I have become very passionate (and love telling everyone!) since starting rowing last September.
Before I finished, I also included a flyer for the Dragon Boat Racing event taking place on 26th May 2025 at the Sherborne Castle Country Fair. Leweston School always enter teams of students from different year groups and the sixth form team have always done very well (with a number of victories under our belts). So, as a mixed team of boys and girls, I told students that I thought Ann Glanville would approve of their participation in this charity event.
This year, Portland will be entering our very own team of 16 paddlers and one drummer to take to the water and do us all proud.
What impact did this have on the students and what can we all learn from Ann Glanville?
Hopefully, my message about gender equality sunk in, and through the inspiring story of Ann Glanville, such ideas were brought to life.
I hope that her example stays with the students; as they were about to leave, I told them all that we should try to be a little bit more like Ann Glanville in our daily lives, facing adversity and challenges with courage and resilience, tenacity and strength, but also with a good sense of humour (as she was known to have a wicked wit, admired even by royalty!).
Later that day, some students told me that they had gone on to continue discussing International Women’s Day during a PSHRE lesson, and that they had tried to be (and were still trying to be) a bit more like Ann Glanville in their approach and attitude.
For me, to find a way to make a positive different to young people, as a Head of Sixth Form it’s this sort of thing that makes the job really worthwhile. So, now, with this blog, perhaps her example will spread just a little bit further, and we can all be a little bit more Ann Glanville as we go about our daily lives.
As Jenny B told me, when the waters get rough and the rowing gets tough, she tells her crew that Ann Glanville used to do this in petticoats!
