Former professional football player turned motivational speaker, Luke Staton, visited the College on Wednesday 5 September to welcome this year’s intake of students.

Luke started life as a professional football player working alongside the likes of Kenny Dalglish and Sam Allardyce after his debut with Bolton Wanderers at the tender age of 19. Since his retirement from the footballing profession at aged 21, Luke has worked with some of the world’s largest brands and sporting organisations. Luke has founded a new company called Inspiring The Next Generation which was created to help young people develop the self-belief and skills to fulfil their potential. Following the statement “Where we start isn’t a choice, where we finish is.”

He was invited to Accrington and Rossendale College to speak to the students about overcoming adversity and how important it is to believe in themselves to succeed.

Luke commented:

“I have spoken to around 18,000 students throughout my career as a motivational speaker and it has been incredibly fulfilling. It’s vital to encourage students to not only be kind and helpful to other people, but to themselves as well. I love coming to places like Accrington. The desire and hunger for success in the room today has been phenomenal. I’m really thankful to Accrington and Rossendale College for inviting me to come along today.”

Accrington and Rossendale College prides itself on the opportunities it provides to its students and have formed partnerships with various organisations that enable them to do so. This particular visit was supported by Future U.

Future U is a collaborative project bringing together universities, colleges, schools and businesses from across Lancashire. Their aim is to empower young people with the knowledge and opportunities to succeed, to overcome barriers to progression by offering an engaging programme of events and outreach activities.

Gareth Henry, Learner Experience Coordinator at Accrington and Rossendale College, commented:

“We asked Luke to come along today during the first week of the new college year to encourage and motivate students; to get them excited about the journey they are about to undertake. We are working alongside Future U to enable these experiences for our students and we’re incredibly grateful for all of their support. It’s important for us to aid students in reaching their full potential and visits from time-served professionals are hugely beneficial in doing so.”

For more information about Luke Staton visit www.lukestaton.com

For more information about Future U visit www.lancashirefutureu.co.uk