Anti-Homophobia Week adds a splash of colour to Stockport Academy

Chris Prince / 20 May 2016 / Categories: News

Stockport Academy students helped shine the spotlight on homophobia by organising a week of events to raise awareness of the issue.

The highlight was a spectacular ‘Colour Bash’ – based on the traditional Hindu Holi festival - which saw around 200 students throw multi-coloured paint around the Academy’s playground to express their support for the LGBT community.

Organised by the Academy’s Year 10 students, the event was generously supported by eight local branches of the Co-op, who donated £420 as well as providing refreshments, helping ensure the maximum amount raised by the Academy went directly to charity.

Year 6 students from Alexandra Park Primary School were also invited for a picnic and to take part in their own Colour Bash to celebrate finishing their SATs exams.

The Co-op teamed-up with Stockport Academy after Year 10 student Shanaida Ahmed wrote a letter to the company’s Retail Chief Executive Steve Murrells to ask if there was anything the community retailer could do to get behind the school’s Anti-Homophobia initiative.

Earlier this week, students released 50 coloured balloons, each containing an anti-homophobia message, while cake sales, dance performances and special assemblies have been held every day this week to mark the occasion. A group of the Academy’s Sixth Form students also created a short film to raise awareness of discrimination against transgender people, which will be shown at the Stockport Pride festival at the end of July.

Head of Year 10 and Peer Mentor Leader Mrs Nicholls said:

“The level of commitment and passion shown by our students in going the extra mile during Anti-Homophobia Week was, as usual, exemplary and we can’t thank everyone at the Co-op enough for supporting this extremely important cause.”