Workshop inspires change
Pupils and staff from Abbeywood School welcomed Paul Hannaford for a workshop around drugs, knives, gangs, and crime.
Over the past 10 years, Paul has built a successful career educating school children from multiple year groups about the dangers of addiction, drugs, and alcohol as well as his involvement in gangs.
His session focussed on the consequences of the actions he took on his family and people around him, and himself.
Pupils were impeccably well behaved and highly engaged in the session, and most certainly took on board Paul's message.
Feedback from pupils was incredibly positive and they really valued hearing a story first hand. One commented:
"I have learned it can ruin people’s lives and their families, and it is your choice and you should be very grateful for what you have."
Another said:
"I was inspired with how he turned his life around and has restored relationships with his family."
A third student said:
"I can now see the bigger picture."
Relationships, Sex & Health Education (RSHE) Lead, Laura Underwood commented:
"The workshop was inspiring and provided our pupils with a real-life story of resilience and desire to turn life around. Paul made it very clear that they need to consider risk and consequences when making choices in life and to follow their dreams and stay on the right path. A big thank you goes to our Pastoral Manager, Rod Hodgson who organised the visit and supporting RSHE. I felt the visit was incredibly valuable and Paul and his story will be remembered by our children for many years to come."
