Pupils from Wainwright Primary Academy joined hundreds of other young people at Nottingham’s inaugural WE Day event to hear A-list speakers from across the globe on what it means to be a hero in your own community.
Among the internationally renowned speakers were Bella Ramsey, from Game of Thrones, and Martin Luther King III – the oldest son of civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jnr.
The event, held at the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham on 5 November, was organised by the WE Charity and is part of several WE Days held in cities across the world to celebrate social action among young people.
This is the first time a WE Day has been held outside of London and the first time the academy has attended the event with phenomenal feedback from the children.
The pupils all agreed that their favourite speaker was Isabelle Weall – a quadruple amputee, sports star and Internet sensation. Isabelle lost both her arms and legs when she contracted meningitis at just seven-years-old but now aged 16 she is doing all she can to inspire others.
Isabelle has thousands of subscribers to her You Tube channel, Instagram and Twitter page. She shares stories about her life as an amputee and her can-do attitude is motivating a generation of children to become heroes in their own way.
Among the array of global stars was American actor Emilio Estevez who spoke of his insecurities and told the audience that he was a very shy child that couldn’t speak in class. He urged pupils to freely express themselves and added: “Your voice matters, the future of the entire planet depends on it. You are the heirs of the only planet we have.”