Stars of sport and music are amongst over 30 celebrities who have given their time to offer words of wisdom and support to Leeds pupils taking exams this summer.
Throughout the year, sporting heroes, pop stars and TV presenters have been passing on their support to the thousands of Leeds pupils who are taking exams this year, by taking part in a motivational film for Child Friendly Leeds.
Numerous sporting stars who attended the Sports Personality of the Year Awards when it was held in Leeds last December, agreed to send exam advice and good luck messages to Leeds pupils.
Amir Kahn offered some knock-out advice by telling pupils to ‘Work hard – this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, so make the most of it.”
With good luck messages also coming from Australian Grand Prix driver Mark Weber, Olympic and Paralympic stars, including Ben Anslie, Hannah Cockcroft, Chris Hoy and Baroness Tanni Grey Thompson, as well as local heroes Jamie Jones-Buchanan and Ryan Hall.
Pop group Neon Jungle reminded students to go to bed early the night before the exam and revise hard, with pop star Olly Murs suggesting doing extra reading will also help achieve success. Also offering their words of wisdom from the pop world were Dizzee Rascal, Diana Vickers and Yorkshire’s own John Newman.
CBBC presenter Katie Thisleton offered some unusual advice to help students remember tricky facts – to sing them to the tune of their favourite song.
Councillor Judith Blake, executive board member responsible for children’s services said:
“It is fantastic that so many nationally and internationally renowned sportspeople, pop stars and TV personalities have taken the time out of their busy schedules to record these messages of support and good wishes to young people taking their exams.
“We all know how important it is to give all our children and young people the encouragement and inspiration to be a success. This film shows them that we are all behind them and believe they can do well.
“Child Friendly Leeds is about putting young people at the heart of everything we do. By recognising that exams are one of the most challenging times in a young person’s life and giving them encouragement to try their best will hopefully give everyone a real boost.”
The motivational film will be shown on the big screen in Millennium Square, and will also be shown at schools across the city, it was also shown at Miley Cyrus show at the firstdirect arena.
Leeds City Council has also arranged for a number of ‘good luck’ banners to be displayed throughout the city – within the city centre and outside schools, to remind the young people of Leeds how much support they have.
The stars included in the motivational film are:
Neon Jungle
Scouting for Girls
Loveable Rogues
John Newman
Charlie Brown
Diana Vickers
A.M.E
Lucy Spraggan
Stooshie
Olly Murs
Dizzee Rascal
Chris Hoy
Jonanthan Edwards
Ryan Hall
Ben Ainslie
Amir Khan
Jamie Jones-Buchanan
Steve Cram
Tony McCoy
Paula Radcliffe
Hannah Cockcroft
Baroness Tanni Grey Thompson
Eorl Crabtree
Ben Cohen
Mark Weber
Ellie Simmonds
Katie Thistleton (CBBC)
Chris Johnson (CBBC)
Joe Tidy (Newsround)
Harry Gration
Gaby Logan
Hazel Irvine
The film was produced by Sally Molineaux at ‘Molineaux Productions’, with some help from Child Friendly Leeds young reporters at the Sports Personality of the Year Awards. It can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5LIMI9Ur94.
Young people who are looking for revision advice and what to do after taking their exams can visit the Leeds Pathways website at http://www.leedspathways.org.uk/exam-revision The Leeds Pathways website, which is provided by Leeds City Council, helps young people plan their future options after Year 11 – be it further education, training, apprenticeships or employment.
