Deyes High Awards evening

David Stewart and I after the presentations

I was pleased to be invited to attend the Awards Evening at Deyes High School in Maghull. It is always uplifting to hear the stories of young people and their successes. At Deyes I heard not only about their academic and sporting prowess but also their service to the wider community. When there is far too much negativity about young people it is important that these stories are heard.

The guest speaker, former Deyes student, David Stewart spoke about his journey from Deyes High to a top job at QPR. He was a football obsessed teenager whose parents guided him to maintain his academic studies. At University he recognised he wasn't going to be a top professional and saw an opening in performance analysis. After an unpaid internship he got a permanent job and subsequent promotion. His talk was well received by the school.

Without doubt to two best delivered presentations of the night came from Head Boy, James Thompson, and Head Girl, Amy Louise Baker. It was very impressive that two young people spoke so compellingly,-theirs was not a flat monotonal offering but something where both the content and the way it was delivered commanded attention even at the end of the evening.

When I got home I checked out the school website and found that they had taken up World Mental Health Day and this piece appeared in the school newsletter:


World Mental Health Day took place on Monday 10th October 2016. This week during form time, Year 12 students have been discussing different mental health problems, to raise awareness of this important issue. Some of the conditions students have been discussing include stress, anxiety, depression and post traumatic stress disorder. They have been discussing how to recognise the signs of mental health problems, coping strategies and sources of help.

As regular readers will know I have done my best to raise mental health issues during my Mayoral year and a few days earlier had hosted the first ever Mayoral reception to mark the day. Well done Deyes High.