Events

Wembley - The Finals

May 2007

In May Show Racism the Red Card went to the brand new Wembley Stadium for the English Prize Giving Ceremony of our 8th annual Anti Racist Schools Competition. This completed a hat-trick of national stadiums which saw Scottish and Welsh winners rewarded at Hampden Park and the Millennium Stadium respectively, in the year that saw more than three times the number of schools participating than in 2006.

Some 500 entries were whittled down by our judges to just 29 winning children who - along with their teachers and families - joined us at the home of English football where they were presented with their awards by a range of past and present players as well as sponsors and celebrities. The generosity of football clubs from all four divisions meant that the pupils were rewarded for their hard work with some fantastic prizes, which included visits to Premiership training grounds such as Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United, as well as signed shirts and footballs and even places on summer soccer schools.

Continuing their successful presenting partnership were the excellent Charlie Hardwick of Emmerdale and SRTRC Patron Robbie Earle, who led the event with their usual warmth and humour. After the honours had been awarded in all seven categories, 8 year old Ryan Tanner of Tickford Park School in Milton Keynes was revealed to be the overall prize winner. His outstanding artwork earned him a trip to meet Thierry Henry this summer, and Baljeet Ghale, President of the NUT, was on hand to present a laptop kindly donated by her Union to Ryan's school.

Many of our sponsors were present on the day, and we are very grateful for their continued support which enables us to hold events such as this. Also enjoying a trip to Wembley were various Show Racism the Red Card Patrons, including Warren Barton, David Kelly, Bob Bolder and Paul Elliot. They were joined by current players from throughout the football leagues such as SRtRC Patron Chris Powell, Efe Sodje of Southend, Lee Harrison of Barnet and Dagenham and Redbridge players Sam Saunders, Anwar Uddin and Danny Foster.

In addition to posing for pictures with the FA Cup and marvelling at the Silky Skills of Richard Braithwaite, a highlight of the day for all who attended was listening to the poetry and story readings which reminded our audience why the campaign to eliminate racism and the sorrow it brings is so important, so well done to Simrit Ghatore, Emily Jeffries, Amy Reynolds, Lisa Scott and Sarah Tambo.

Plans are already in place to ensure that the 2008 competition is even bigger and better than ever, giving as many young people as possible the chance to participate in the campaign and help us combat racism in all its forms.