Stunt man and professional wrestler inspire Mansfield students in online event

Sports students at West Nottinghamshire College benefited from a wealth of advice and knowledge from special guests across the UK and the USA during the college’s ‘Sports Industry Week’.

Top stunt performer Matt Bell, who has appeared in films such as Star Wars, Spiderman, 1917 and Enola Holmes, was a big hit with students who learned about his exciting career.

The 29-year-old, who has also worked on TV shows for the BBC, Sky and Amazon Prime, shared his sporting experience with students, describing the kind of skills needed for his job, including acrobatics, gym skills, martial arts, scuba and swimming.

He explained the process of how to become a member of the British Stunt Register and the training and experience required, while students asked him about how he deals with sports injuries and maintaining motivation in a varied and physical career.

Professional wrestler Gareth Wallen also shared his career and life experiences in the fitness industry.

Another guest who featured live from New York was Brad Schoenfeld, an internationally-renowned fitness expert.

Josh Owens, 16, who is on the BTEC level three sport extended diploma, said: “I discovered that you won’t always get to your dream job straight away.

"Our guests showed us that you have to take different routes to get to where you want to be, and the different opportunities you take will progress you in becoming more experienced in a future place of work.”

Tutor Maria Higgins said: “The week was simply amazing. Despite not being classroom based at the moment, this certainly didn’t hinder just how much the students learnt from a mass of expertise and knowledge from our inspiring guests .”