Photo Opportunity: 1.50pm, 9 Oct, Waterfront Hall, Belfast. Trish will meet politics students from Belfast Royal Academy. To attend this photo opportunity or to receive an image please call Simon Whitehead on 07837 112759.

Trish Haines meets the next generation of Belfast's finest Trish Haines has invited politics students from her former school, the Belfast Royal Academy, to take part in a SOLACE Conference National Cabinet session normally reserved for United Kingdom's council bosses.

Ms Haines has returned home to Belfast not only as Worcestershire County Council's first female Chief Executive, but as the first female President of the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives as it holds its annual conference. In a bid to give young people interested in politics an insight into the world of council chiefs, a group of 18 students will join a workshops where chief execs work together to further improve public services.

Trish Haines said: "I hope both my current roles inspire the students to see the potential of what they can achieve and the positive impact they can make to prosperity, people and place through working in local government. I hope this is case for the young people coming along, but especially so the young ladies, so that they can see that if you're ambitious and hard-working that you can make it to the top. The conference has also been a chance for me to showcase the very best of what Belfast has to offer and this of course includes it's people."

Barbara Lomas, Politics Teacher at the Belfast Royal Academy, said: "It is rare for an opportunity such as this to come up for our pupils and we are delighted to have the opportunity to attend the Conference. We are looking forward to learning more about local government in its local and national contexts, especially from speakers of such importance."

The students will take part in a Cabinet Keynote session on Thursday afternoon which will feature the Rt Hon Hazel Blears MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

SOLACE is the representative body for senior strategic managers working in the public sector. The Society promotes public sector management excellence and provides professional development for its Members who come from all areas of the public sector.

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