Members of the Student Council for Newton Abbot recently visited Teignbridge District Council to find out more about how decisions are made by Teignbridge and to participate in debate with Councillor Jeremy Christophers, Leader of the Council.
This year the pupils were joined by Chris Broadbent who is launching the Planet Earth Games. Chris was able to outline his plans to engage local school children in a broad range of sports and the games and to see their suggestions for the design of the medals for the games.
The visit, which was organised by Coombeshead Academy and Newton Abbot Community Interest Company, is part of a programme of activities which the Student Council undertakes during the academic year to learn more about local decision making.
Councillor Jeremy Christophers has hosted the visit from pupils for the last six years. Cllr Christophers said:
“It is always exciting to meet the members of the Student Council and hear what they have to say. These young people are the future of our district and events like this are important so their voices can be heard. I was encouraged by how aware they are of the challenges we face, particularly environmental ones, and it was a delight to hear lots of their suggestions for the present and future. Thank you to everyone who came along and organised this event.
The Students on the Schools Council come from Primary Schools across Newton Abbot and the surrounding area. Brian Whiffen Assistant Headteacher at Coombeshead Academy commented that:
“the student councillors continue to be an absolute credit to the primary schools that they represent on the student council. They can always be relied upon for sharing their opinion and conducting themselves in a mature manner. They are a pleasure to work with and should be congratulated for helping to shape the future of Newton Abbot.”
Emily Farrell Business Manager at Newton Abbot Community Interest Company added:
“We are always keen to listen to the views of our local community, and this visit provides an opportunity for the young people to learn about local democracy and voice their opinions about issues in Teignbridge”.
Pictured above are pupils from Newton Abbot Primary Schools with Councillor Jeremy Christophers; Leader of Teignbridge District Council, Chris Broadbent from the Planet Earth Games and Emily Farrell from Newton Abbot Community Interest Company.
