The picture above is the conference brochure for The Manchester College Group.Today the nominees for chancellorship at  University of Manchester were officially announced.  I’ve enquired why there are no women on the list and was told various women were approached. To be  nominated alone is an inspiration to me.  It is symbolic of my own journey of learning. I am the boy who walked barefoot to Manchester from a village in Lancashire. I came to learn and to grow and the learning and growing hasn’t stopped.

It has given me wings – as a writer and artist I travel the world amongst scientists and royalty, fighters and peacemakers, service workers and academics. And the effect is inspiring. University of Huddersfield  hold  “the Lemn Sissay PhD Scholarship for Care Leavers” . I stood-in for Chancellor Sir Patrick Stewart at University of Huddersfield, tasked with giving students their degrees,  and loved every minute of it.    My role was  to inspire and be inspired.

This nomination comes within weeks of giving the keynote speech to a thousand teachers and lecturers at The Manchester College Conference in The Great hall of Manchester Town Hall.  The picture below features Chancellor Sir Patrick Stewart and Vice Chancellor Bob Cryan CBE of University of Huddersfield.  The twitter hashtag is #lemn4chancellor because it rhymes.Voting starts on 26th May.