Three school children have seen their work made into a permanent reminder of the dangers of motorcycle nuisance, thanks to a grant from Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Danielle Stone.
Following regular visits from their local PCSOs, Kings Heath Primary Academy ran a school wide competition with over 100 pupils designing and submitting posters to help deter motorcycle related anti-social behaviour.
All the entries were collated and then judged by PCSO Ellie Garnett, before being made into permanent signage, which is on display on North Oval, outside the school building.
The winning signs were unveiled by Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Danielle Stone on Tuesday (December 3) who was joined by PCSOs Andy Emberton and Joanna Pole and the families of the winning students.
This was made possible following the successful application to the Supporting Communities Fund, run by the OPFCC, which covered the costs of the signs.
Danielle said: “I was delighted to be able to visit Kings Heath Primary School to unveil the winning signs and celebrate the hard work of the children that took part.
“Anti-social behaviour can be incredibly damaging to local communities as it makes people feel unsafe in their own homes, so I am pleased to see that work is being done to tackle the problems of motorcycle nuisance in Kings Heath.
“I am glad that the local PCSOs have been working with the school to empower the pupils to make a difference to their local community.”
Sarah Durbin, Principal of Kings Heath Primary Academy, said: “By partnering with local police to create signs for the community, our school not only reinforces safety and awareness but also fosters a sense of unity, showing that together, we can build a stronger, more connected community.”
“It also allows our school helps spread messages of safety, respect, and cooperation, turning every sign into a symbol of shared responsibility and care for one another.”
The competition was part of an ongoing programme, being carried out by Northamptonshire Police in Kings Heath to combat motorcycle nuisance.
PCSO Andy Emberton (pictured below), who regularly visits the schools in the area was delighted with how enthused the pupils were with the scheme.
“We know that motorcycle nuisance has been a problem in Kings Heath for a while and as a neighbourhood policing team we have been working hard to try and reduce it as much as we can.”
“Being able to visit the school on a regular basis to help the children build trust and confidence in the police force has been extremely rewarding and has meant that the children have been more engaged making their signs.
“Without the funding through the PFCC grant scheme – none of this would have been possible, so we are extremely grateful to Danielle for her support in the rollout of this project.”
Applications for funding are welcomed from any school, charity or non-profit organisation from across the county. There are three grant schemes available – The Road Safety Fund, Small Grants Scheme and Making Northamptonshire Safe Fund.
More information and detail on how to apply can be found on the OPFCC Website, here.
