Put the emphasis on job satisfaction, urges Tiff

4:46pm Thursday 20th November 2008

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“Try to do a job you really enjoy,” was the concluding message of guest of honour, Tiff Needell, at Romsey School’s presentation evening.

The racing driver turned journalist and TV presenter said he was lucky to have had two careers which had given him great enjoyment.

However, he explained that while he had always dreamt of being a racing driver, he had “kept one foot in reality” by training to be a civil engineer.

After paying to attend the racing school at Brands Hatch, he combined both careers for a while.

Eventually, the track took over and Tiff went on to reach the heights of Formula One, making his debut in the Team Ensign car in the same race in which Nigel Mansell made his first Grand Prix appearance.

Unlike Mansell, Tiff was deputising for a sick first-choice driver “who, unfortunately, got better!”

Although his F1 career stalled on the grid, Tiff went on to race in a wide variety of competitions all over the world. He took part in 14 Le Mans 24-hour races and could boast that he was the 1993 Bangalore Grand Prix champion.

Tiff handed out the prizes and was visibly amused when he presented the Geography award to a student whose name was James Hunt.

He also made presentations to head boy and and girls, Elliott Boultwood and Vanessa Windsor and their deputies, Catherine Tarrant and Harry Forshaw.

The school’s patron, Lady Brabourne, who usually presents the GCSE certificates, was unable to attend the ceremony and Romsey mayor, Karen Dunleavey, deputised for her.

At the beginning of the evening, executive head, Peter Warburton said it was a pleasure to see so many pupils and parents of the class of 2008 present.

For a list of prizewinners, see this week's Romsey Advertiser