West Lindsey District Council is proud to announce two pupils from Queen Elizabeth’s High School have been appointed as Young Heritage Champions.
The Year 10 pupils from Gainsborough will be able to feed into decision making on building projects and planning of events as part of the Townscape Heritage Initiative.
Theresa Workman, Townscape Heritage Activity Co-ordinator at the Council, presented the importance of heritage-led regeneration at a school assembly in May. Her talk sparked enthusiasm and energy from the teenagers who want to make a difference around Gainsborough.
She said: “I am so grateful the school staff have embraced our project and have been so keen to involve the pupils. It has allowed for fresh ideas and feedback through the interactions with the pupils. It has already had a huge effect on my awareness of what insights the teenage population can provide with our regeneration work and town events.”
Following the assembly, pupils had the opportunity to apply for the position as though they were applying for a job. 10 pupils applied for the Young Heritage Champion role, which led to 6 being shortlisted and interviewed.
Reuben Scott and Alyssa Basu stood out from the range of talented students, leading to them both being appointed as Young Heritage Champions.
Mrs Helen Crick, Head of Year 10 at Queen Elizabeth’s High School, was blown away by the level of maturity of the students and how they conducted themselves throughout the process.
She said: “I’m really proud to have two Year 10 students representing the school as Young Heritage Champions. It is an exciting opportunity for the students, especially for their personal development and experience they will both gain. We’re really looking forward to hearing about Alyssa and Reuben’s ideas and hopefully see the ideas being presented in school.”
As part of Alyssa’s passionate application for the role, she declared: “I want to be the change,” which stood out to the interviewing panel.
Alyssa is delighted to be appointed to the role.
She said: “I’m really grateful for the opportunity to put our ideas forward to make Gainsborough a better place to be and have a wider range of things to do for our age group within the town”.
Mr Rick Eastham, Headteacher of Queen Elizabeth’s High School, is immensely proud of both students, as their year group suffered two years of disruption and social isolation due to Covid restrictions. Mr Eastham compared Reuben to being a “Town and Country Planner in disguise!”
He said: “They were two candidates within a very strong field. They both stood out in different ways to create the perfect combination. The school’s values in terms of Student Leadership will be demonstrated by both Alyssa and Reuben and the ideas already expressed by both have just been fantastic. We’re honoured to be involved with this initiative.”
Reuben is keen to make changes within the town.
He said: “Years ago this wouldn’t be a thing, and now we’re very lucky to be able to have the chance to make an impact within Gainsborough. I can’t wait to see what happens”.
Both of the Champion’s families couldn’t be prouder of their children and quickly shared the fantastic news across their family group chats. As a Council, we can’t wait to see what these brilliant young individuals do next!
For more information about out Townscape Heritage Initiative visit: