John Barnes visits the Hawthorns to see Cyrille Regis' legacy first hand
Former England winger John Barnes popped in to address youngsters who have graduated from a programme held in memory of a legendary Albion football player. He visited the Hawthorns to meet graduates of the Cyrille Regis Legacy Trust's 'Strike a Change' programme.
Set up in memory of Big Cyrille and administered by his widow Julia, the programme offers a guiding hand to participants through a combined programme of education and football.
This is the fourth time students have graduated from the programme and 84 from around the West Midlands took part.
John, who also played over 300 times for Liverpool, gave a 20 minute speech on the subject of Endurance before taking part in a question and answer session with the graduates.
He said: "Cyrille remains a legend in the game, an inspirational figure to so many players.
“I was delighted to hear from Julia about the development of the trust, its programme and how it targets help for youngsters who may be facing difficulties. That's exactly what Cyrille stood for.
"When she asked if I would come to this closing session and take part in the graduation event I didn't hesitate. It was a privilege to come and see the programme at work first hand."
Trust chair Julia said: “We launched just as COVID arrived and it brought so many challenges for the first couple of years.
“As a result last year felt like the first and it has continued to grow from strength to strength. We already have the next cohort identified and could have filled the places available twice over.
“We have expanded our board of trustees and have had support and recognition from the National Lottery and the PFA.
"And of course, we are just closing our year as Albion’s official charity partner. We’re in a very positive place and I was so grateful to have John on hand to see for himself how we have made progress."
