Norfolk Pact

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WHAM winners

06 April 2009 11:08:33 GMT

Beautiful sunsets, 28C heat and taking a shower with an elephant - for these Aylsham students the sights and sounds of India were a million miles away from the snow they had left behind in Blighty.
The holiday of a lifetime was their reward for winning the Wham community challenge which encour-aged Norfolk pupils to improve the lives of people around them.
But while the teens enjoyed the chance to forget about GCSE revision and take a dip in the pool instead, they came back brimming with ideas to carry on their good work - and improve the lives of the people they left behind.
Reporting back to their peers at yesterday's school assembly, Catherine Batch, Megan Purdy, Jason Hagon and Lewis Warren were still bubbling with tales of wild elephants, friendly locals and bartering with traders.
Lewis, from Roughton, said: “We had one of the most amazing experiences. After trying to wash the elephants, we sat on their backs and they washed us.”
Taking off from a snow-covered runway at Heathrow in February, the students spent nine days in Kerala, southern India, after winning the competition which was run by Norfolk Partners Against Crime Taskforce (Pact) and supported by Norwich Union.
Their project - which involved forming the group Focus, Aspiration, Confidence and Equality (Face) to help promote positive body image and combat eating disorders - beat those of students from across the county.
The year 11 pupils organised a number of events, including a Christmas concert, as part of the project and have already organised a group of year 10 students to take over the reins next year.
But the 16-year-olds do not intend to stop there - and plan to use their eye-opening Indian experience as inspiration to widen the project.
While away they met a family and were shocked to see the hardship they experienced compared with the luxury of the tourist resorts. They now plan to make Face tackle inequality as well.
Catherine, of Aldborough, said: “A little girl followed us around, asking for a pen. It was amazing to see one pen making such a difference to someone's life. We decided we had to do something.”
The group have organised a package, including stationery and 11 Norwich City shirts, to be sent to the girl and her school friends. They also plan to address the inequalities at their school - which they believe are often linked to body image.
Catherine said: “A lot of people think they are below or above other people because of the way they look.”
Teresa Tucker, project manager for Norfolk Pact, went to India with the group. She said the teens were the first in the competition's 12-year history to use the holiday to broaden their scheme.
She said: “I can't think of another group that the trip has had such an impact on. They learned so much over there.”