ASHFIELD: Dragons’ Den ideas a firm investment

A powerful campaign promoting healthy relationships has won an Ashfield secondary school first place and a £1,000 prize as winners of a Dragons Den-style competition.
Winners: Sutton Community Academy.Winners: Sutton Community Academy.
Winners: Sutton Community Academy.

Sutton Community Academy was praised for the strong messages that its work delivered as part of its ‘comprehensive package’.

It included a song written about abuse in relationships, a colourful hand logo and a series of four short video clips highlighting different types of abuse.

Ashfield Community Safety Partnership invited Year 10 students at each of the district’s secondary schools to produce an entry.

Five schools – Holgate Academy, Kirkby College, Quarrydale Academy, Selston High School and Sutton Community Academy - took up the challenge entitled ‘Dragons’ Den 5.’

The event came to a conclusion last Friday, when each team gave a presentation about its campaign.

A wide range of methods of presenting their respective campaigns had been researched and developed by the teenagers, including websites, leaflets, booklets, chat rooms, T-shirts and videos.

The judging panel was made up of assistant chief constable Simon Torr, Equate coordinator Claire Dixon, head of services for Nottinghamshire Women’s Aid Mandy Green, Louise Leckey from Nottinghamshire Independent Domestic Abuse Services (NIDAS), Paula Clarke from Women’s Aid Integrated Services (WAIS) and Police and Crime Commissioner Paddy Tipping.

The judges and the competition organisers praised all of the campaigns and it is expected that in future elements from them will be used across the county by domestic abuse service providers in their work with teenagers.

Comments on the judges’ marking sheets about winners Sutton Community Academy included praise for the ‘very original’ song one of the team members had written, for the ‘fantastic logo’ and the ‘strong messages’.

A new award given for innovation went to Quarrydale Academy who ran the catchline ‘There is always a light at the end of the tunnel’ on tray covers with helpline numbers for use in the school canteen.

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