A BBC presenter and a business tycoon helped inspire pupils at the Haberdashers' schools before they broke up for summer.

Television presenter and writer, Kate Humble, encouraged girls at Haberdashers' Monmouth School for Girls (HMSG) to be brave, take risks and always treat everyone they meet with kindness and respect.

A week later, Old Monmothian Mark Neale, founder and CEO of outdoor clothing chain Mountain Warehouse, was the guest speaker at Monmouth School's Speech Day on Saturday 4th July.

The former boarder said: "When I was 26, in 1994, I made probably the most important business decision of my life.

"I chucked in my job and set up a business – mum went ballistic.

"But she was there, with my brother, until 4am helping me to set up my first shop the night before we opened. And today, we have 206 stores and we've just opened one in Vancouver, on the other side of the world."

Kate Humble called upon her incredible deep sea adventures in a cramped, "dustbin-like" yellow submarine and encounters with a very rarely seen six-gilled shark to illustrate the importance of seizing exciting opportunities.

"I never got a degree or a PhD," the former Springwatch host told pupils.

"But skills count, experiences count, exaggerating just a little bit about how good you are at something can help – just being a little bit brave and different; those are the things that will get you jobs.

"Never think you are more important or better or cleverer than anyone else.

"People are always as important as you are and worth treating well, because one day your life might be in their hands."?The Lambing Live presenter, who also runs the Humble by Nature farm just outside of Monmouth with her husband Ludo Graham, helped to present the great number of prize-winning pupils with their awards.

Mr Neale, who is now married with two children, told pupils at Monmouth School to "get some ideas, meet lots of people, make plans, but start a business before it's too late."

He also listed paying taxes as one of the positives of running a company.

"Since I started Mountain Warehouse, we have contributed £250m in tax to the British Exchequer," he added.

"That's enough for the NHS to employ 12,000 nurses for a year."

Mr Neale thanked his parents for making significant sacrifices to send him to Monmouth School, which he believes enabled him to become so successful.

He also told pupils to "seize the day, because none of us know what's around the corner."

The event was Headmaster Dr Steven Connors' last day at the school, as he retires after 10 years at the helm.

He gave a moving speech, thanking all of his team and the pupils for their dedication, passion and commitment over the years.

Dr Connors covered several highlights from the last decade, making special mention of the strengthening collaboration between Monmouth School, Haberdashers' Monmouth School for Girls and Monmouth Comprehensive, which has led to the town's literary festival in June enjoying its second year.

The week before, Caroline Pascoe, Headmistress of HMSG, had written her own chapter of Harry Potter, weaving in beloved members of staff from the School as recognised characters from the bewitching series.

As well as making the audience chuckle, the charming chapter mentioned many of this year's wonderful success stories.

Haberdashers, parents, pupils, staff and governors watched as prizes for outstanding achievements, progress and efforts in subjects ranging from maths to music, and from drama to sport and academia were given out at both events.