A ST HELENS High School was visited by a number of celebrity guests before the end of summer term, including a former professional footballer, motivational speaker, fashion designer, and politician.

In July, Rainford High held its conference ‘Building A World Where Everyone Matters’ which celebrated diversity while also raising awareness about the issues surrounding the topic of inclusion. 

With guest speakers, workshops, and activities planned, around 140 students took part in the event from Rainford and other local schools.

St Helens Star: Walé Adeyemi, Mr Ian Young and John BarnesWalé Adeyemi, Mr Ian Young and John Barnes (Image: Rainford High)

Talking about their own experiences of diversity and inclusion, the line-up of guest speakers consisted of former footballer John Barnes, transgender motivational speaker Christian Owens, fashion designer and entrepreneur Walé Adeyemi and Labour MP for Wavertree Paula Barker.   

A former footballer for Liverpool and England, John Barnes took to the stage to discuss his experiences with racism as a footballer.

He recounted incidents where fans would throw items at him or shout racist abuse, while also explaining his mindset in dealing with this. 

St Helens Star: Christian Owens at Rainford HighChristian Owens at Rainford High (Image: Rainford High)

Using his “lived experience to educate”, Christian Owens spoke about his work with Merseyside police, the struggles with his identity, and the creation of GenderSpace; a platform where he raises awareness about the social, legal, and medical aspects of being transgender.

'B-side' founder Walé Adeyemi talked about how despite beginning his career with "no self-belief", he is now a confident and successful fashion designer who has worked for clients such as Victoria Beckham and Beyoncé.

Walé explained that by following this career path, he was subverting the expectations of Nigerian culture and his parents who expected him to pursue a field such as law or medicine.  

St Helens Star: MP Paula BarkerMP Paula Barker (Image: Rainford High)

Finally, Paula Barker discussed the importance of “speaking up for the voices that aren’t usually heard” as she talked about her role as a woman in politics representing a predominantly working-class community.

Paula emphasised the urgent need for diversity in Parliament and gave examples of the sexist discrimination she has faced such as verbal and online abuse.

Highlighting their own difficulties and experiences with inclusion, each speaker noted how they worked through this to better themselves and for other people going through a similar struggle.

Ian Young, Principal at Rainford High, added: “The conference ‘Building A World Where Everyone Matters’ conference was absolutely wonderful.

"I would like to say a huge thank you to our special guest speakers for being here and taking the time to share their stories with us. I am sure that students and staff alike left the school feeling very inspired. 

“At Rainford, we understand the importance of acknowledging and celebrating diversity as well as ensuring that both pride and self-esteem are instilled within all of our students.

"Thank you to the students from our partner schools for their hard work in hosting workshops that were very beneficial in exploring diversity to a deeper extent.”