'I'll be your Refuge'
"What crimes, what hurt, what wars have you survived?
What hopes, what dreams were left when you arrived?
I’ll be your refuge, your shelter, your fortress,
I’ll be your champion.
I’ll be your refuge, your pilot, your brother,
your northern star.
I will be your second sight;
the light that guides your way at night.
Don’t be down-hearted.
I’ll be your refuge, I’ll be your refuge,
I’ll be your refuge."

This morning I attended the launch event for the Inner West Family of Schools Stephen Lawrence Education Standard work...

The event took place at the wonderful, new Armley Leisure Centre and was opened by Cllr Jim McKenna, the Lord Mayor, who has given so generously of his time since he was elected as Lord Mayor in May. The morning was a brilliant celebration of these great schools:

• Armley Primary School;
• Castleton Primary School;
• Christ Chuch CE Primary School;
• Cobden Primary School;
• Fives Lanes Primary School;
• Greenhill Primary School;
• Holy Family RC Primary School;
• Lawns Park Primary School;
• Lower Wortley Primary School;
• Ryecroft Primary School;
• St Bartholomew's CE Primary School;
• Whingate Primary School;
• Farnley Park Maths and Computing College;
• Swallow Hill Community College.

The audience was entertained with drama, African dance, poetry, a pom pom display, a self-defence display, a rock band, recorders, readings, Indian dance and steel drums. Their wonderful joint choir started the morning with two great songs; 'It's the Climb' and 'I'll be your Refuge' and finished with 'Sometimes in Our Lives' before we all went outside to watch the release of some doves of peace... it was a brilliant morning with some amazing young people and the colleagues who on a day-to-day basis release this magic!

Chris