St Valentine’s Day

13th February 2026

Well done, you’ve made it. Whether you have a full week off next week or not, the mid-February break, bringing to light and light relief will be welcome. It’s been a shocking start to the year, in respect of the weather, but our schools and college have brought a shaft of spring sunlight (metaphorically) into our school/college days. At whatever point of the academic year, we tend to need to paint on a smile and bring some brightness. This last month or so that has been especially important.

To lift our spirits over these wet few weeks, there’s been so much happening. Our children and young people have been involved in so many extracurricular activities; those things that they will remember when they are older and have left school or college – the elements of schooling that make being part of everything that we do absolutely worthwhile. It could be the sporting activities and successes. It could be the performances. It could be the extra lessons undertaken in preparation for final examinations.

In that vein, and I know I can’t reference everyone and everything but a special mention to the children from Sitwell who were involved in the Young Voices event just this last week. At this Rotherham wide event, which is now a fixture on the local calendar, we were wonderfully represented by the year five children from the school, who did amazingly well. Well done to all of them and the staff involved in preparing for and supporting on the evening.

And, of course, the wonderful production of Shrek. Five performances over the last week or so; one matinee and four evening performances, each now bringing the house down. Well done to all the students involved and the staff who have pulled it together. Well done all, you can rest up for a few days.

And at the heart of the Shrek musical? Love. The Shrek story is about someone (something) finding love, whatever that looks like and wherever it presents. And that is so timely as Saturday 14th February is our annual celebration of all things love and lovely – Valentine’s Day.

As I’ve written in the past, that’s not really my thing. But it doesn’t mean it can’t be your thing. If you want to celebrate and participate, then go for it. Bringing some happiness into your life or the lives of those that you love isn’t a bad thing. And in these times, maybe it’s more important than ever. You’ll do what you do but try not to go overboard with the spending. Something thoughtful, something small, maybe something meaningful yet cheap might be better than the other inflated dozen red roses. You do your own thing to make it work for you.

Over the past week or so I’ve been thinking about some of the activities we’ve engaged in across the schools or the college, including the Shrek performance, it seems to me that there is another message at the heart of this and that is, possibly more important than ever in these turbulent times, how we behave and how we conduct ourselves. Taking time to spend time with people, listening to what they have to say, trying to understand what they are saying, not taking a rigid position or social media driven entrenched viewpoint, doing the face-to-face, all those things make for an eminently more tolerant and generous community. How we treat each other, that will be what unites us. And if we call that love – then so be it.

I hope that you can find some time to spend some time with the people that you like or love in the coming days. I hope that you can take some time to listen and to be heard. I hope that you can reach out and bridge some of those seemingly unbreachable societal and community chasms. As the old adage goes, we are stronger together; be that on Valentine’s Day or at any other time of the year.

‘Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead.’ Oscar Wilde

‘The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.’ Audery Hepburn

‘If love is the answer, could you please re-phrase the question.’ Lily Tomlin