Local students declared ‘World Changers’ for UHNM #keepstokesmiling campaign
Mrs Karen Juggins, UHNM Consultant Orthodontist, with students from NSCG Stafford College who won ‘The Creatives Award’ in the World Changer Awards - a UK-wide awards initiative from learning company Pearson
A group of local graphic design students have won a national award for their striking adverts which were created for the #keepstokesmiling campaign led by UHNM.
The campaign raised awareness about the importance of dental health and the impact that soft drinks in particular can have on teeth. They have been seen by thousands of people in the community.
Students from NSCG Stafford College won ‘The Creatives Award’ in the World Changer Awards - a UK-wide awards initiative from learning company Pearson. The awards, which were judged and supported by leading explorers, creatives, entrepreneurs and social campaigners, sought to find inspiring children and young people across Britain who are sparking positive change in the world beyond the classroom.
Karen Juggins, Consultant Orthodontist at UHNM, said: “Grossly decayed teeth in children and young adults is one of Stoke's biggest dental health problems. The consumption of high sugar content fizzy drinks is without doubt a large contributing factor and many of our patients seem unaware of the consequences and together with students from NSCG Stafford College, we've set out on a mission to improve the dismal statistics we are seeing year after year.
“The judges thought the collaboration between hospital and college students to highlight the consequences of high-sugar fizzy drinks and to attempt to change young people's attitudes was inspiring and I couldn’t sum it up better myself! This is great news for KeepStokeSmiling and for the college and for the students. To be seen to be working with the wider local community in such winning projects is fantastic.”
An example of one of the adverts created
Mike Kelly, Group Head of Creative Studies at NSCG, said: “Knowing that advertisers target young people to sell sugar-saturated products, despite knowing full well the impact of tooth decay, our students were keen to hear about the problem from Karen, who led the ‘Keep Stoke smiling’ initiative.
“The sense of fulfilment and pride the project has provided has been life-changing and confidence-building. It has raised a smile in lots of ways for our students and staff, and hopefully made a difference to the young people who saw the ads on billboards, flyers and online.”
As winners of the Creatives Award, the students will receive a certificate, trophy and have details about their project published in the World Changer Awards showcase, which will be celebrated far and wide.