Pupils 'proud' to attend Sir Patrick's old school

Pupils at a West Yorkshire school where Sir Patrick Stewart once studied have said they are "proud" to follow in his footsteps.

The Hollywood star went to Mirfield Free Grammar, where students know him through his roles in the X-Men films and Shakespeare.

Sir Patrick died last week, aged 86, after suffering from Alzheimer's disease and Lewy Body Dementia.

Neal Packard, vice-principal of Mirfield, said the news was "a big shock" to the school.

He added: "We've obviously known he was part of the school, part of the community, for an awful lot of years.

"It was a real shock, but what we were really keen to do is really remember him and really make him an inspiration for generations to come."

Sathyaveer, who studies dance and performing arts, said Sir Patrick has been an inspiration for him in his performing, which has taken him to Ireland and Spain.

He said he was "completely speechless" when he found out the star had attended Mirfield, adding: "I decided that I wanted to come to this school as soon as I heard about it."

Noraa said she grew up watching Sir Patrick in X-Men and that she watched his Macbeth performance while she was studying the play.

She said: "How could someone so famous be from this really small town?

"It makes me feel quite proud of where I'm from and I also feel honoured to be going to the same place that he did, the place that he grew up."

Packard, who took Sir Patrick round the school on during a visit in 2011, said the actor was "really quite emotional" when he saw the stage he performed on 60 years previously.

"This was the very first stage that Sir Patrick acted on," he said.

"He was really generous with his time. He talked extremely well to the students and some of our drama students did actually perform for him, which must have been really nerve-wracking for them.

"But then he spent an awful lot of time taking photos, talking to them about his career and really giving that advice that was so valuable from him."

Packard also said Sir Patrick left with a special gift.

"I mean, what do you give a Hollywood star as a gift? So, we thought well let's give him part of the stage.

"We took up part of the stage behind me here and we made it into a plaque and etched it with a quote from The Merchant of Venice, which was the first thing he acted here."

In a tribute following his death, the school said it was "privileged to have been part of his story" and described him as "a warm, friendly, compassionate and charismatic gentleman who left a last impression".

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