HISTORY came alive for the students of John Hanson Community School in Andover as they were treated to a captivating reenactment of medieval times.

The engaging performance by Sam Whyadd and Tony Cattell took the students on a journey through the historical period from 1066 to 1485, offering a glimpse into the everyday life of common people in medieval England.

Sam and Tony, who are siblings, presented a show akin to a 'Horrible History' performance that left the students thoroughly enthralled.

Both Sam and Tony have been sharing their love for history and medieval reenactments with the students of John Hanson for quite some years.

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Tony, who is also a staff member at John Hanson School, explained the significance of the reenactment.

He said: "Year 7 students are learning this bit in their history lessons now. It's in their curriculum.

"Normally, we do it outside. We would be shooting the arrows, and they would be able to pick up and swing the weapons, so that they get a feel for it. But unfortunately, due to the rain, we had to do it inside this time.

Sam said: "The group has been going since 2007 and I have been doing this since 2004. 

"Most of history is dates and times and people. You learn about a battle, or a prime minister, or a king. What we teach them is the everyday life of the regular people. We teach them how they would have lived. It's much more of a social history that we provide rather than the official textbook history."

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The event was a departure from the conventional classroom experience and aimed to provide students with a tangible connection to history.

Headteacher Russell Stevens, who also participated in the reenactment, said: "One of the key foci of the school is to give students experiences. The school needs to be more than just what they do in lessons. Five years later, they won't remember what they did in lessons. But they are going to remember the things they did and the things they experienced. We have three pillars here in school: great education, great memories, great friends. It's the great memories in the middle that explain why we do things like these.

"We are really lucky that Tony is one of our staff. It's a wonderful experience for the kids, more than what they get by looking at a book or looking at a screen."