DLD College London students race towards inclusivity with inspirational talk

To celebrate LGBT History Month, 250 students from over 55 nationalities recently gathered in the atrium of DLD College London for an eye-opening talk by transgender racing driver, Charlie Martin.

Charlie, who is also an ambassador for inclusivity in sport for StoneWallUK, visited the Westminster Bridge-based college where she delivered an honest and powerful talk about what it takes to succeed in sport. Charlie shared with the DLD cohort the challenges that she has to face in life and in her career, as a result of her gender transition in such a traditionally male-dominated world as motorsports.

Students were inspired by Charlie’s messages of hope, as she gave motivational lessons on resilience and never giving up.

The highly-admired speaker is now a successful GT driver, who is well respected by the media and her fellow competitors. With various wins and podium finishes in international racing events already under her belt, Charlie is now preparing to become the first transgender woman to compete at the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Director of Studies at DLD, Gareth Evans commented, “Whilst Charlie continues to work hard to make history, we will support some of the most poignant messages she gave to our students: that being free to be whoever you want to be and being free to be with whoever you want to be with is nothing less than a pretty basic human right.”

“Promoting inclusivity is key in our college community; as part of the student voice we have DLD Pride, a support group for LGBT+ students and supporters within the College. Discussions at DLD Pride meetings have enabled change at DLD, for example an alteration to policy, representation around the College and a change in facilities for LGBT+ students.”

DLD College London is housed in highly contemporary, purpose-built premises in the heart of London, on 199 Westminster Bridge Road, overlooking the Palace of Westminster and the River Thames.

The College offers students the chance to study a wide range and flexible combination of A-Levels, BTEC courses, International Foundation Programmes (IFP) and GCSEs.

As part of the Alpha Plus Group, DLD College provides a 'gold standard' of educational quality. Classes are small, enabling students and teachers to focus upon the most effective ways of learning and to provide them with the highest levels of pastoral care.