Girls rock! That’s the message from students at Newsome Academy who created ‘positive pebbles’ for female officers at Holmfirth Police Station

Talented students at a Huddersfield school left no stone unturned to spread positivity after decorating rocks and stones with artwork to inspire female police officers.

The Kirklees Rural Neighbourhood Policing Team has thanked girls from Newsome Academy for their work in creating ‘positive pebbles’ to inspire female staff at Holmfirth Police Station.

The girls attended a free ‘Be You’ Girls’ Holiday Club during the Spring Bank half-term, funded by the Mayor of West Yorkshire’s Safer Communities Fund and organised by Newsome Academy’s Safer Schools police officer PC Sally Baines.

Amongst the activities the girls got stuck into during the week was decorating large pebbles that PC Baines “borrowed” from Holmfirth Police Station, having seen a pile of them dislodged by recent building work.

With permission from Rural NPT Inspector Vanessa Briggs, PC Baines collected a bag full and the girls set to work painting them with slogans such as ‘Girl Power’, ‘Be a voice not an echo’ and ‘Girls can do anything.’

The newly decorated pebbles have been varnished and returned to the station by Newsome Academy students Miracle Williams and Emmanuella Ademunmi who met with Insp Briggs and arranged them in a display that can be seen by staff and visitors alike.

Insp Briggs said: “Thank you so much to Miracle and Emanuella for meeting with me at Holmfirth Police Station. It was lovely to chat to two confident and assured young ladies who enjoyed sharing their positive outlook with me.

“I am really impressed with the beautifully decorated pebbles as they all displayed messages and phrases that I champion myself. They’ve made a colourful and thought provoking display outside our station.”

PC Baines said: “The ‘Be You’ Girls’ Holiday Club was all about having fun, being creative, developing self-confidence and self-esteem, and keeping safe.

“The girls had a great time and were really keen to decorate the pebbles to make an inspiring display for the staff at Holmfirth Station.

“Thanks to the Mayor of West Yorkshire’s Safer Communities Fund, the Holiday Club was free and I was able to offer a range of different activities for the girls to do during the week.

“There will be three more clubs over the coming summer holidays across the Kirklees area so I may be back for some more pebbles!”