Over 50 young people from Twickenham, Ham, Hampton and Kingston came to together to discuss hate crime and prejudice in the UK.

The students from seven school across the area discussed media portrayal of refugees and immigrant, stereotyping and the relationship between hate crime and racist bullying in schools or on social media.

The meeting was organised by Achieving for Children, attendees heard from Ravi Arora from Richmond Ethnic Minorities Advocacy Group and Mike Ainsworth from Stop Hate UK.

Bella Slimani, 15, said: “Although Richmond is quite a tolerant place, this workshop has made me think about the importance of challenging prejudice and how hate crime relates to racist bullying in school and on social media. We should all stand up and say hate crime is not acceptable."

Cllr Penny Frost, Richmond Council Cabinet Member for Young People, said: “This was a really inspirational conference where young people could have valuable discussions on hate crime, sharing experiences, ideas and solutions.

“Hate crime can have a debilitating effect on victims and their families, as well as on the wider community. I want everyone to feel safe and able to lead a fulfilling lifestyle choice, free from hostility or harassment.

Students were made up from Kingston Academy, Orleans, Tiffin Girls, Coombe Girls, Hampton High, Brentford School for Girls and Buckingham Primary School.