Khadijah Mellah: Hijab-wearing jockey triumphs on Haverland and makes history

Four months ago Khadijah Mellah had not even sat on a racehorse, but on Thursday she made history by winning the Magnolia Cup at Glorious Goodwood.

The 18-year-old student is believed to be the first person in the UK to appear in a competitive horse race while wearing a hijab.

The amateur rider from Peckham, in south London, won the five-and-a-half-furlong charity race aboard Charlie Fellowes-trained 25-1 outsider Haverland, beating the likes of Olympic cycling champion turned jockey Victoria Pendleton. More

Inspirational Diversity Champion of the month – August 2019

On 12 August it is International Youth Day and with that in mind we have chosen Amanda Medler as our Inspirational Diversity Champion of the Month.

Amanda is the Chief Guide, the most senior volunteer at Girlguiding UK.  She was appointed following an extensive recruitment process that involved both young members and leaders.

Amanda started her five year term in 2018 and has been involved in guiding her whole life. She qualified as a Brownie leader whilst studying at Loughborough University and she became a Guide leader in London and South East England Region in 1989, which she continues to this day.

In Middlesex North West County, Amanda created a Young Guiders forum and was chair of programme and training before serving as assistant and then county commissioner.

Amanda has been a Girlguiding qualified trainer since 2003, and over the years has progressed from being chair of the British Youth Council delegation to being elected as a member of Council and the Executive committee. She led significant change as UK Guide adviser (lead volunteer 1995-2000), delivering the renewal of the Guide programme.

On the global stage Amanda has been a member of Girlguiding’s delegation to a Europe Conference as well as other European events and conferences. In 2010, she was elected to the WAGGGS Europe Committee and in 2013 served a second three-year term as vice chair.

In her professional life Amanda has worked in corporate IT for over 20 years, moving into the not-for-profit sector eight years ago, first as a senior project manager for Citizens Advice and now as a senior consultant with Adapta Consulting.

To find out more about International Youth Day see here

https://www.un.org/development/desa/youth/news/2019/04/iyd-2/ To find out more about Girlguiding see here https://www.girlguiding.org.uk