Taking place in the heart of Dagenham, 100 school kids spent the day immersed in football, music, acting and engineering.

Staff joined Kick It Out chair, Lord Herman Ouseley, in CEME's state of the art 'pod' facility, who opened proceedings urging continued vigilance against discrimination and exclusion, in all walks of life, whilst recognising the progress football in this country has made.

Support came from the highest echelons in the form of east London giants West Ham United and Kick It Out ambassador Kieron Dyer, who came along to give his backing: "I am very proud to be West Ham's ambassador this season. These events are brilliant and it gives me a chance to meet kids, help educate them, and reinforcing the fact that racism is something that we need to collectively tackle both on the pitch, and off it."

Dyer's team-mates will be pledging their support at next week's fixture at Upton Park against Newcastle United.

X Factor star and local lad, Olly Murs, was once an aspiring footballer, and echoed Dyer's words: "Kick It Out is a fantastic campaign. The more people involved, the stronger the message becomes. This is why we're here today. These kids have the potential to go on and achieve great things."

Rodney Hinds, sports editor of the Voice, brought together some key names from football's yesteryear in a panel discussion. Paul Davis, one of Arsenal's pioneering black players in the 1980's, Watford and England legend Luther Blissett and Paul Allen, one of the youngest players to appear in an FA Cup final, for West Ham back in 1980.

Following on from their anti-racism day in March this year, Dagenham & Redbridge FC players and staff also featured on the board.

"Football has come a long way," said Davis, now a full-time coach for the PFA. "About 25 years ago, as a black player getting so much abuse compared to now, where there is no way near as much. Organisations like Kick It Out have done fantastically well to create that atmosphere." 

Luther, one of the first English players to sample life in Serie A during his time at AC Milan, scored a hat-trick for England on his international debut back in 1982. He is now plying his trade as a coach at Stevenage, and is one of the up and coming black coaches in the game:

"If there is something that you really want, I think you have every right like everybody else to go for that job, no matter who you are. We live in a society now where there are equal opportunities; education is the key. Get your qualifications and get as much experience as you can."

Paul, another ex-pro working with young players across the country in his role at the PFA, concurred: "It is all about educating and interacting. When I was a young player, anybody who came into the club regarding sport telling us about their past histories, what they had achieved, and some of the things they had to overcome to achieve that, it was always really exciting."

Bringing the occasion to a close, Ford's equality and diversity manager Mitra Janes said: "The company ethos for both Ford and Kick It Out is completely matched. We've been hosting these events with the campaign for the last three years and we definitely hope to continue running them in the future."

For more information on Ford, please visit: http://www.ford.co.uk/

For more information on Kick it Out, please visit: http://www.kickitout.org/1.php