Rose tops the poll for Youth Parliament (From Northwich Guardian)

Leftwich schoolgirl Rose elected to Youth Parliament

12:10pm Friday 12th March 2010 in News

ROSE Proudfoot 13, from The County High School, Leftwich has been elected to represent Cheshire West and Chester at the UK Youth Parliament.

Voting took place in schools, colleges, youth clubs and Connexions centres and other projects over the past few weeks and the final count revealed more than 9,500 votes cast, a 59 per cent increase on last year when just short of 6,000 youngsters voted.

Ron Davies the Connexions participation worker who organised the election said: “This is a very satisfying result.

“I thought we would have more people voting and had hoped for perhaps a 20 per cent increase.

“This really is a great endorsement of young people’s involvement in the democratic process.”

Rose will be joined at the Youth Parliament by Daniel Palmer, 15, from Christleton High School.

They will be supported during their two years in office by four deputies: Jessica Colston, Jonathan Hardy, Lewis Williams and Hannah McMurray.

West Cheshire’s election day event was held at County Hall, in Chester, on Friday last week and was attended by 25 young people.

During the morning, the six candidates worked with other young people who had been involved in the selection event to look at the issues in the manifesto and to consider actions the new team can work on.

A question and answer session was held in the afternoon with a panel made up of Norma Guest, director of operations for Connexions, Cheshire and Warrington; Julie Westgate; a chief inspector with Cheshire Constabulary; Keith Morris; editor of the Guardian newspaper series in mid and south Cheshire; Dr Tony Sharples, public health specialist and Lord Mayor of Chester, Clr John Ebo who is also chairman of Cheshire West and Chester Council.

Ron Davies added: “Today was a great success, and was just reward for the candidates after the hard work they have put into their campaigns.”

l Rose Proudfoot had a double reason to celebrate this week after her short story was one of the winning entries in a World Book Day competition, run by Evans Publishing Group.

Stories submitted from The County High School had to begin with the pre-selected opening line: “When my dad sat me down and told me he had something important to share with me, the last thing I expected to hear was, ‘You’re a vampire’.”

Rose’s story, A Vampire’s Dress, has now been published, along with other winning submissions from the 3,000 entries.

It appears in an anthology The Escape of Hanna Schmidt and other stories and poems.

Author Stewart Ross judged the competition, with all winning entries receiving a certificate and 100 copies of the book.

Emma Bennett, a representative from Evans Publishing Group presented Rose Rose with her certificate and prize, along with a £50 book token for the school.

Copies of the book are available to buy through the school, priced at £3.99 each.