Free training for teachers from Sophie Lancaster Foundation as part of Whitby’s Tomorrow’s Ghosts Festival

The Sophie Lancaster Foundation are offering free training to North Yorkshire teachers, as part of their partnership with Tomorrow’s Ghosts Festival. Online sessions will be delivered to school staff in the region as part of the Foundation’s mission to stamp out prejudice, hatred and intolerance everywhere.

The Sophie Lancaster Foundation was set up in 2007 by Sylvia Lancaster, following the brutal murder of her daughter in an unprovoked gang attack. Sophie was a goth and was attacked simply for the way she looked; the judge at her murder trial recognised the vicious and violent assault for what it was – a hate crime. The Foundation was established to educate people that difference is something to be celebrated, not feared, and challenge the inaccurate stereotyping and demonisation of alternative sub-cultures.

Adam Lancaster, spokesperson for the Foundation and Sophie’s brother, commented:

“Whitby is such a special place for us to visit and the Goth community have always held the Foundation close to their hearts. TOMORROW’S GHOSTS FESTIVAL is a wonderful celebration of the music, fashion and culture that makes the subgenre so unique and beautiful. As part of our commitment to attending the festival, we wanted an opportunity to share the work we do in Sophie’s name to celebrate difference and raise awareness about hate crime. How people react to difference is often the root of bullying and it can be difficult to know how to start meaningful conversations on these issues in a school setting. Our educational resources have been developed to increase empathy and help students think again about their attitudes to people who are different from them. We will be delighted to be able to share our story with teachers in the region and outline our experience of delivering these resources in school.”

Teachers can join a free presentation online, and schools interested in joining a session should email: [email protected] for more information and to register.

Richard Maides, Creative Director for Tomorrow’s Ghosts Festival added:

“Our relationship with the Sophie Lancaster Foundation is very important to us. We stressed from day one of our partnership that we did not simply want this to a relationship based just on a branding exercise. Our collective aim is to promote the positive aims of the Foundation and ultimately educate society raising awareness around issues of hate crime and tolerance. We hope that as many teachers and school staff will be able to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity offered by the Sophie Lancaster Foundation and consequently improve people’s lives. “