Yarm Alumni Conall Lacy (2020) returned to school on the final day of term, 3rd July 2026 as the guest of honour for the Lower School Prize Giving -a marked change from his last days at school when social distancing was still in full effect!

Joined by his family, representing two generations of former pupils, including his mum Louise (nee Darcy), and siblings Annabel (2025) and Lochlain (2022), it was wonderful to welcome the Lacy family back for such an important event in the school calendar. 

The Princess Alexandra Auditorium (PAA) was filled with lower school pupils, and special guests including former Headmasters Neville Tate and David Dunn. Conall fondly remarked that several of his former teachers in attendance would definitely remember him from his time at school! 

Vice-Chair of Governors Beccy Brown and Headmaster Huw Williams both gave an outstanding overview of the incredible achievements from the academic year, whilst pupils treated the audience to uplifting cheerleading and musical performances. Conall then joined David Boddy, Head of Co-Curriculum and Partnerships (and former pupil) to hand out prizes, before sharing his inspirational and uplifting words. 

Reflecting on his journey since leaving Yarm, Conall shared how his career has been built on creating opportunities and making the most of them. Following his degree in Sports Management, Conall has worked with a wide variety of athletes. His journey includes working with a host of premier league clubs such as West Ham and Newcastle United, as well as the Orlando Magic NBA team. Conall is a licensed FIFA football agent, and most recently, host of game nights for the Newcastle Eagles and Great Britain Basketball.

The core message of Conall’s speech was inspired by Alex Banayan’s book, The Third Door: The Mindset of Success. Drawing on his own experiences of meeting high-profile figures, he encouraged pupils to banish "imposter syndrome", the nagging feeling that you don’t belong in a room full of seemingly confident, knowledgeable people. With energetic delivery, he reminded the audience that everyone is human and inspired the pupils to realize that they deserve to be in "the room." Thanks to their Yarm education and the opportunities it affords them, they are the next generation of confident, capable leaders.

To drive the point home, Conall used a brilliant analogy that every pupil could relate to: the lunch hall queue (with a strict warning not to test this theory in September!). He explained that there are different ways to get into lunch. Some people form an orderly queue (the first door); others obtain a pass for early entry due to music or sports practices (the second door). But then, there are always those pupils who magically crack the system and make it into the lunch hall first, even if it’s not entirely clear how they managed it!

Conall encouraged the pupils to always look for that "third door", the unconventional way to get yourself into the room and to fully embrace the moment once you are there.

We extend a huge thank you to Conall for such an inspiring, high-energy address that left everyone thinking positively about harnessing future opportunities. Conall has recently started a global partnerships role with Abler, the Icelandic tech company, and we can’t wait to see where his journey takes him next!