Welsh-speaking school pupils in Caerphilly county borough will be watching a hard-hitting play next month to raise awareness of the dangers surrounding drugs.
Hugely successful anti-drugs play ‘Wings to Fly‘ will return once again to Caerphilly county borough, with more than 500 Welsh-speaking school pupils expected to go along and watch the thought provoking production.
This is in addition to the 1,800 English-speaking primary school pupils who had the opportunity to watch the production earlier this year.
Now in its fifteenth year, Wings to Fly tells the story of ‘Penguin’, a young girl who succumbs to peer pressure and ends up trying drugs. The story tells of the dangers surrounding drug taking and the very real consequences of substance misuse.
The fifty-minute play is aimed primarily at Year 6 pupils aged ten and eleven, and raises awareness of the harmful effects of drugs, as well as focussing on methods youngsters can use to combat peer pressure and refuse drugs.
The performances will be on Wednesday 14th April to Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni, with young actors from the schools drama group taking part in the production.
Cllr Lyn Ackerman, cabinet member for the environment said, ‘Wings to Fly is a very powerful production that demonstrates to school pupils the dangers of taking drugs.
Since it began almost fifteen years ago, almost an entire generation of young people, which is more than 35,000, have benefited from seeing a performance of Wings to Fly.
I am delighted that since 2005, the production has also been available through the medium of Welsh, meaning that children from Welsh-speaking schools can benefit from watching the play too.
What is especially pleasing is that the issues tackled in Wings to Fly also act as the basis for school lessons when the children return to their classrooms, which helps to further engage with young people on the very harmful effects of drug and other substance misuse.”
Caerphilly Partnership Inspector Alan Webber said, “This is a hard hitting play and one that is always well received by the school pupils who attend. I believe the fact that young people play the roles means that the scenarios have even more impact.
After the pupils have attended Wings to Fly, our School Liaison Officers will then go into their lessons at school to follow up on the messages and issues that were raised.”
Wings to Fly is run jointly by Caerphilly County Borough Council, Gwent Police and the Blackwood Crime Prevention Panel.
The play has also been taken up by other local authorities and police forces throughout Wales, and the model of a school based drugs awareness programme, reinforced by the theatre based learning experience is both popular and successful.
For further information on Wings to Fly, please contact Lynn Jones at the Safer Caerphilly Community Safety Partnership on 01443 866 925.
