A hard-hitting play has been used to drive home the dangers of “grooming” to young people and parents in South Holland.
With the help of donations from a local charity and the ward’s district councillors, Spalding East Rural Community Policing Panel, together with PCSO Bev Robinson, arranged for three performances of Chelsea’s Choice to be presented at Moulton Community Centre.
The play, based on real-life experiences, provides a hard hitting and very effective way of raising awareness concerning child sexual exploitation.
As well as providing valuable information on the subject, the players from Alter Ego Creative Solutions took questions and invited the adult audience to comment on and discuss the content of the play at the end of the performances.
PCSO Robinson said: “This form of sexual abuse can cause much harm and distress to young people at a time when they are struggling to establish their identity and likely to be particularly vulnerable.
“If we can safeguard and prevent one young person from becoming a victim of this sordid practice during their development then time spent watching one of the performances will have been a sound investment.”
The play tells the story of a group of three students who discover the diary of a girl called Chelsea.
Chelsea was a young girl who, having fallen out with her friends and family, was approached by a man called Gary.
Gary was older, owned a car, had a flat and treated her like an adult.
Unfortunately Gary was not what he seemed to be!
Chelsea’s story is played out and examined by the three students who, along with their teacher, attempt to understand what happened to Chelsea and how it could have been prevented.
The play has been seen by thousands of young people and hundreds of professionals nationally and has proven highly effective in:
- raising awareness of healthy relationships
- promoting safe internet use
- identifying risky situations
- raising awareness of the grooming process and the differing forms that it can take
- raising awareness of child sexual exploitation and the forms it can take
- sign-posting relevant services.
