A NORTH Yorkshire author and knife crime campaigner has been speaking to pupils at two county school.

Christina Gabbitas visited Harrogate High School and Holy Family High School  following her continued work with North Yorkshire Police.

As The Press reported at the time, the Selby author was at Vale of York Academy in Clifton last month.

Christina  has been teaming up with North Yorkshire Police to participate in Operation Sceptre, a collaborative effort involving all 43 Police forces and British Transport Police for a week of heightened action.

During her visits to schools in the county, Christina conducted sessions with the school liaison team, engaging with students in Years 7, 8, 9, and 10.

Christina said: "Trapped in County Lines," depicts the tragic consequences of a fatal stabbing, and how easily the characters become victims of exploitation, with one of the characters going missing at the end of the story. All students were very engaged with the characters. I’m a big believer in the power of storytelling for delivering educational messages.”

Sergeant Heidi Lewis who heads up the school liaison team said: “The work we are undertaking with Christina is schools is crucial.

"The feedback and interaction we receive from the visits speak volumes. All children and young people can be at risk of exploitation, the earlier we intervene, the better."

The students said they are looking forward to taking part in Christina’s national writing competition that’s open until June 30: https://www.trappedincountylines.co.uk/competition/

York Press: North Yorkshire author and knife crime campaigner Christina Gabbitas has been speaking to pupils at Harrogate High SchoolNorth Yorkshire author and knife crime campaigner Christina Gabbitas has been speaking to pupils at Harrogate High School (Image: Supplied)