Sheffield school's anti-knife crime scheme nominated for award
An anti-knife crime initiative designed to help young people who are feeling unsafe find support has been shortlisted for an award.The Ask for Nik scheme encourages anyone feeling threatened to seek discreet help in local shops and businesses.Devised by pupils at Sheffield Park Academy, it allows people to enter participating stores and discreetly indicate to staff they do not feel safe by asking: 'Is Nik working?'The scheme had been used in the city on a number of occasions since its launch, the school said, with it now nominated for a NextGenLeaders award.
Becks Wheatley, programme manager for NextGenLeaders, said: "The students came up with this idea and developed it themselves."We know it's having an impact because people are genuinely using this in the stores, they are seeking support so this is a genuinely impactful project."The scheme, which operates in eight Asda branches in Sheffield, takes a similar approach as the national Ask for Angela initiative.Ask for Angela allows people who feel unsafe in bars or clubs to discreetly seek help.
Located near All Saints Catholic High School, where 15-year-old schoolboy Harvey Willgoose was stabbed to death in February, pupils at Sheffield Park Academy said knife crime was a growing issue locally. Morgan, a student involved in the scheme, said: "There's been a few incidents. There was one at the bottom of the road where someone got stabbed in the neck and we just felt like we needed to do something."You can go into a shop and if you ask them if Nik's working, they will take you to a safer place and make sure that you are not on your own and you're not scared."After the store assistant has offered support, a trusted adult is contacted.Keren, another pupil, said: "[Harvey's death] scared me and it also woke me up to reality, because it made me realise that terrible things can happen at any time, anywhere."Students hoped the scheme would "go national" and gain wider advertising, she added.
The NextGenLeaders awards in Yorkshire celebrate students who have developed ideas to make a positive impact in their communities and designed to foster a sense of social responsibility.The awards ceremony will take place in Leeds on 15 May.
Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
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Daily Record
44 minutes ago
- Daily Record
How botched hits on gangster Kevin 'Gerbil' Carroll led to shocking Asda shooting
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Six years later, police intelligence files had him listed as one of the top 15 criminals in Scotland. At the time Carroll – who lived with Jamie Daniel's daughter Kelly Green in Lennoxtown, East Dunbartonshire – clearly thought he was above the law. He was said to be the leader of a gang that kidnapped rival drug dealers, subjecting them to sickening violence, including torture, to obtain cash, drugs and weapons. Carroll's targets were often found distraught and half-naked in the street after their ordeals. The attacks were dubbed 'alien abductions' because the victims told the police they had no memory of what had happened to them. One dealer allegedly had his fingers broken by Carroll and his crew, who then pulled out a grinder and threatened to cut his nipples off. Father-of-three Carroll had survived two previous shootings in 2003 and 2006, linked to the Daniel and Lyons feud. But in January, 2010, it was third time lucky for the Lyons clan when he finally met his demise. 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No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. In his defence, Paterson claimed six different men could have carried out the murder, including the drug dealer who Gerbil had met before his death. During both trials, evidence was heard from ordinary members of the public caught up in the shooting. Shopper Emma Busby, 35, said: 'I thought it was like another Dunblane massacre. I kept hearing the sound of a baby crying.' 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Daily Mirror
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- Daily Mirror
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Wales Online
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