Hundreds of school pupils from across Tendring have been given important advice about the impact of knife crime as the Young Persons Crucial Crew initiative returned to Clacton’s Princes Theatre.

Tendring District Council (TDC) and the Tendring Community Safety Partnership (TCSP) staged the event at the council-run theatre from Monday, 17 March, to Thursday, 20 March.

Delivered to 552 children from 13 schools over four days, the programme featured a variety of interactive sessions, led by the Little Two Theatre Company, designed to educate and empower young people about the dangers of knife crime.

The company performed ‘It's About Your Son’, a play written to educate youngsters that was originally performed as part of a multi-disciplinary arts project in Colchester to coincide with the visit of the Knife Angel - a 20ft tall sculpture created entirely from seized blades

The engaging and impactful piece of contemporary theatre, written by EastEnders screenwriter Deborah Cook, tackles the issues surrounding knife crime and serious violence.

Between the acts, the cast led an interactive workshop that was designed to give students a chance to explore the themes raised within the play through discussion with the actors and role-play.

Councillor Peter Kotz, TDC’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety, said: "The Crucial Crew event is a fantastic opportunity for our youngsters to gain essential safety knowledge in an engaging and memorable way.

“By collaborating with our partners, we were able to highlight the risks that young people can face and share vital safety messages that could potentially save lives and improve the quality of life for our community.

“It was wonderful to see so many schools participate in this initiative, and I’m thrilled that our young people had the chance to absorb valuable information and access resources to help them stay safe.”

Alistair Ward, director of Little Two Theatre Company, added: “We hope that the production will leave students and staff alike feeling empowered to discuss the impact of knife crime - an issue that young people have identified as something that is a concern to them - and seek help and support should they ever need it.”

‍