Black Country celebs asked to help with education initiative

Black Country-born celebrities such as Lenny Henry, Noddy Holder, Julie Walters and Robert Plant are to become teachers as part of the Black Country Challenge.

The stars will be asked to join a scheme, called 100 Community Voices, being launched this year to raise the aspirations of young people.

Their involvement could see them visiting schools to give talks about their careers and explaining how education helped.

The project is one of a number of measures adopted under the Black Country Challenge.

Sir Geoff Hampton, who eight years ago delivered a Millennium Lecture entitled What Makes a Good School to the Prime Minister at Downing Street, said: "It is about finding 100 people prepared to say 'this is what education did for me'.

"It is important these people are recognised or have standing within the community. We feel that could be really powerful.

"We have to build aspirations. We have to counter apathy and deal with all the manifestations of that. Part of that is people aspiring to better qualifications."

Sir Geoff said development of the 100 Black Country Voices was still in its early stages and hoped local people who had achieved success would give their support.

Once the industrial heartland of the country, the Black Country now includes some of the most deprived areas of the West Midlands.

Comic Lenny Henry was born in Dudley; Slade front man Noddy Holder comes from Walsall; actress Julie Walters is from Smethwick and Led Zeppelin legend Robert Plant is from West Bromwich.

"It is important these people are recognised or have standing within the community. We feel that could be really powerful.

"We have to build aspirations. We have to counter apathy and deal with all the manifestations of that. Part of that is people aspiring to better qualifications."

Sir Geoff said development of the 100 Black Country Voices was still in its early stages and hoped local people who had achieved success would give their support.

Once the industrial heartland of the country, the Black Country now includes some of the most deprived areas of the West Midlands.

Comic Lenny Henry was born in Dudley; Slade front man Noddy Holder comes from Walsall; actress Julie Walters is from Smethwick and Led Zeppelin legend Robert Plant is from West Bromwich.