A special board has been put on display in the lobby of County Hall in Morpeth to show Northumberland County Council’s support for the Show Racism the Red Card campaign.
The authority is backing the campaign in its bid to become the Football Association’s charity of the year in 2011.
Council chief executive Steve Stewart and Coun Leslie Rickerby, executive member for children and young people, were among the first to add their signatures to the board.
They were joined by Shaun Johnson, from sponsor Potts the Printers, Jane Walker, from children’s services, Craig Bankhead, Show Racism the Red Card’s education manager, Olivier Bernard, former Newcastle defender and Show Racism the Red Card coach, and Trevor Benjamin, former Leicester City forward and current player/manager for Morpeth Town.
Council staff and elected members are being encouraged to sign the board, which is on display this month.
The charity, which has been tackling racism in the north east since 1996, has been delivering workshops in Northumberland’s schools since January 2010 and has already worked with hundreds of young people in the county.
As part of the bidding process for the FA title, Show Racism the Red Card has been asking members of the public to lobby their local MP to sign an Early Day Motion in Parliament, which has already been signed by more than 60 MPs and sign display boards across the region.
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