On Friday 1 May, five members of the Westcliff High School for Boys' Year 10 School Council attended a Youth Day organised by the office of the Southend West and Leigh MP, Mr David Burton-Sampson.

The event was hosted by the Southend Youth Council, and our Year 10 pupils had the opportunity to hear from the Southend United Community Foundation about their coaching programmes and the many routes into careers in sport, before taking to the stage themselves to present to a panel of judges a pitch on the theme of how Southend could be improved.

Their proposal to invest greater financial resources in environmentally friendly transport-links, Southend's amenities for young people, and the soon to be closed university campus received praise across the board. Despite not winning the overall vote, their efforts were rightly recognised, with one panellist commending their pitch as the most feasible and effective. Notably, Mr Burton-Sampson was particularly impressed with their suggestion to introduce rentable bikes from docking stations and greater cycle lane infrastructure, stating that he would consider bringing this idea forward at his next meeting.

Congratulations to Year 10 students Robert, Shaurya, Saad, Sadat, and Thomas for being wonderful ambassadors for WHSB.

Our thanks to Miss Fairfax for arranging this fantastic opportunity for the students, and to Mr Shulton for accompanying and supporting the students on the day.