South Shields Annual Lecture

The school was very proud to host the recent South Shields Annual Lecture (sponsored by Northern Film and Media) on behalf of the Right Honourable David Miliband MP, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.

The guest speaker was Professor Patrick Stewart OBE, a world renowned actor, famous for his roles in Star Trek – The Next Generation, The X Men, and as Captain Ahab in a 1998 version of the film Moby Dick. In addition, Mr Stewart is one of the finest Shakespearean actors this country has ever known and will soon appear at the Newcastle Theatre Royal in the play Waiting for Godot, alongside Sir Ian McKellen.

They first worked together in Tom Stoppard’s Every Good Boy Deserves Favour for the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1977 and more recently in the X-Men film trilogy, as Magneto and Professor X. Each of them has established their own iconic screen persona, as Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and as Star Trek’s Jean-Luc Picard.

Other special guests at the lecture included Mr Miliband’s wife Louise who is a member of the London Symphony Orchestra, the Turkish Foreign Minister, His Excellency Ali Babacan, Brendan Forster and The Mayor and Mayoress of South Tyneside.

The evening was a resounding success and, in my opinion, the most stimulating Annual Lecture it has been my pleasure to attend. Patrick Stewart was an absolutely superb guest speaker and, as usual, Mr Miliband our Member of Parliament and Foreign Secretary was in fine form!

I have included some photographs of the evening.

Ken Gibson (Headteacher)