Sixth Form Girls See a Bright Future for Sefton’s Coast

Four A-Level Geography Sixth Formers; Gaby Campbell, Jemima Pickard, Emily Thomas and Amelia Wake  from Merchant Taylors’ Girls’ School, recently won the Sefton Coast Landscape Partnership’s ‘Our Coast Our Future’ Challenge. The challenge took place in Southport Town Hall in front of a panel of judges consisting of Sally Edmondson, a local academic with many years’ experience on the Sefton Coast; Enda Reynolds, General Manager of the Ramada Southport and Chair of the Southport BID; Caroline Salthouse, who has many years’ experience in integrated delivery projects with coastal communities and Stephen Ayliffe, the Team Leader of Natural England’s Coast and Marine Team.

The competition was organised by Margaret Dickinson of Natural England, as part of Natural England’s contribution to the Sefton Coast Partnerships, ‘to engage local sixth-formers with the hope that it will inspire them to be great ambassadors for the area when they leave for university, as well as inspiring them to bring their skills, enthusiasm and knowledge back home to their local area’.

For the competition itself, the girls had to select one settlement that was situated on the coast of Sefton: the girls chose Southport and considered how they could make this area a better place to live and work.  They also examined the potential for change and improvements in the following areas; Economic Regeneration, Tourism and Recreation, Wildlife Habitat Conservation and Coastal Defences.

The girls had to prepare and give a 20 minute PowerPoint presentation to the panel of judges, which was followed by 10 minutes of questions. The judges were impressed with the MTGS girls’ innovative vision for Southport, especially their concept of an eco-friendly building as a cultural hub, to reinvigorate the local economy through a celebration of local food and the natural environment. They were all impressed by the girls’ measured and professional presentation.

Margaret Dickinson, the Natural England Responsible Officer for the Sefton Coast Site of Special Scientific Interest, said she was incredibly impressed with the girls’ ideas and presentation, and hoped that it had inspired them to help shape the future of our wonderful coastline.

Gaby, Jemima and Emily pictured with Head of Geography Mrs Mason and Headmistress Mrs Robinson