Mayor pays tribute to hero pupils
QU I C K-T H I N K I N G pupils rushed to give help to a school special needs officer who fell over a coffee table and broke her wrist.
Amy Leach, 16, and Aneesha Hoque and Caitlin Murray, both 15, were on their way to pick up their PE kit at Royton and Crompton Secondary School when they saw school visitor Elaine Robinson in distress.
Elaine, who is an SENDIASS (special educational needs and disabilities information advice and support service) officer was at the school to collect some information when she had the accident.
Wanting to show her appreciation to the young trio, Elaine contacted the Mayor’s office at Oldham council to see if they could honour the kind-hearted girls’ actions in some way.
Mayor of Oldham, Coun Shadab Qumer, agreed to the request and has now presented Amy, Aneesha and Caitlin with the Mayor’s Appreciation Award along with some vouchers.
Elaine said: “The girls were just amazing, so kind and caring and I just wanted to say a big thank you to them because a lot of young people wouldn’t know what to do in that situation.
“They managed to get me up, provide me with a chair and some water and get me some further help.
“Lots of young people get bad press but in my role I am seeing big changes and there are big improvements especially with this cohort of children at Royton and Crompton.”
The girls were ‘very surprised’ to hear they were going to meet the Mayor and receive an award.
Their teacher Victoria Freer, head of Year 11, accompanied them on the day and said: “It’s a massive pat on the back to the girls to be recognised in this way.
“The school is in the process of change and things are steadily getting more positive, which the children are coming to realise and their actions are beginning to reflect this. Actions like that of Amy, Aneesha and Caitlin will soon become the norm and we couldn’t be more proud of them for leading the way.”
A council spokesperson said it is a ‘great example of caring and compassionate pupils from Oldham.’