Lewisham Mayor Commits to Prendergast Ladywell Fields College

All it took was an email.

And a phenomenal group of committed students passionate and confident that they are going to make a change in their local community.

So it was that Amanda and Alice, Year 9 students of Prendergast Ladywell Fields College, Lewisham, sent their borough's 'power players' a simple email asking for their support in helping them make their local Catford community better. And top of their hit list was Sir Steve Bullock, Mayor of Lewisham.

And just two weeks later they came face to face with their targeted recipient - following South London Citizens' 'Delegates Assembly' at Lambeth Town Hall. The Mayor was there to be contragulated for, and reaffirm, his support for London Citizens' 'City Safe' campaign - a community-led response to make local streets safer, by bringing shopkeepers, police and communities together, a response triggered in south London by the tragic murder of teenager Jimmy Mizen.

It's the kind of real change Alice and Amanda want to achieve. And, hand in hand with a strong team of students from Prendergast students present at the event, they met the Mayor afterwards and were delighted when he committed to meeting with them to discuss their 'Citizen Schools' project more to see how he could support it - before they even had to press him on the matter.

So now they have their foot in the door - and it just took an email (and the commitment to make that happen). Now the real hard work begins: convincing the Mayor to support their ideas.

Watch this space for more - from both the school and the Mayor!