AN AWARD-WINNING author from a town near York visited a high school with the High Sheriff of North Yorkshire to educate pupils with her latest story and animation.
High Sheriff of North Yorkshire Clare Granger accompanied Selby-based Christina Gabbitas and North Yorkshire Police on their visit to Rossett High School in Harrogate with the author's new creation - 'Trapped in County Lines'.
Christina has worked extensively with the schools liaison teams in North Yorkshire with her first story No More Knives or County Lines, that is aimed at age 10 and above. It was the positive impact that led to the commission for Christina to write a sequel by the force that has been funded by the Office of North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioners Office.
The High Sheriff of North Yorkshire said. “It was so brilliant to see the students spellbound by Christina’s story. They could clearly understand how easily they themselves could inadvertently get caught up in the terrifying scenario Christina’s animation depicted.”
Christina will be visiting secondary schools in North Yorkshire Police in the coming weeks.
The author said: "It’s very rewarding to know that my writing and work is helping to educate children and young people. I’m a big believer in the power of storytelling for delivering impactful messages. I had some great conversations about my research and characters with the year groups.
"The story sees friends, Siobhan, Ellie, Luke, Jamie and Mo caught up and groomed once again into county lines, but this time things will never be the same.
"In this story, aimed at age 12 and above, there is a fatality from an accidental stabbing and one of the characters goes missing. We want to help give children and young people a voice. Exploitation can happen to any child anywhere."
Both publications, along with Christinas’ award winning story called 'Share Some Secrets', will soon be available in the NSPCC Library and across their platforms to help get this very important message out.
Commissioner Zoë Metcalfe, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire and York, said: “I feel proud to support Christina in raising awareness about the issues that young people may face at an ever-decreasing age.
"Keeping people safe and feeling safe is my key priority and Christina’s latest story Trapped in County Lines is a fantastic educational tool to help young people identify risks and dangerous situations in good time so that they can remove themselves from the situation before getting into danger themselves.”
Christina won an award for her story Share Some Secrets in 2019, that encourages children to speak up about abuse.
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