Love Bites

Sexual Health and Relationship Education.

Press Release: June 2004.

Love Bites is the new project from The Wright Stuff, the highly celebrated puppet theatre in education company based in West Yorkshire, who have been successfully producing work for the last ten years. The company has an outstanding track record for the delivery of issue-based projects for young people. Steve Wright, the creative director of the company has been recently recognised for his innovative approach to dealing with sensitive educational issues by the Queen and Prince Philip at Buckingham Palace.

Love Bites is a stand alone teaching resource aimed at young people aged 14+ in schools, informal education and social care settings. The Love Bites package consists of a forty-minute film featuring streetwise, contemporary puppet characters filmed in a soap opera format plus a support pack which includes a national curriculum format teaching programme which PHSCE teachers and other professionals can use to engage young people on the topic of sexual health and relationships. As well as the 40-minute educational film and teaching pack, the film is punctuated by a range of handmade spoof adverts focusing on single issues such as contraception, female body imaging and the dangers of chat-rooms.

Love Bites was recently short-listed for the prestigious Pamela Sheridan award, the national programme which celebrates best practise and production in Sex and Relationship educational resources. It was also reviewed by The Times Educational Supplement. (June 04) which stated:-

'The pack deals openly and honestly with difficult issues'

'Will be a boon to the hard pressed co-ordinator or teacher'

'Should prove a useful asset for the secondary PHSCE resources shelf'

The project is currently being delivered live in West Yorkshire by the company in schools and community venues as a whole package including an interactive workshop run by qualified puppet theatre staff, which isolates and discusses issues highlighted in the video. As outlined above Love Bites is available as a stand-alone resource for educators to use themselves within their own environments and can be purchased as such. Training sessions for teachers and other professionals wishing to purchase and use the package themselves are also run by the theatre company and are bookable at the time of purchase.

Recent teachers comments include:

'Love Bites! Fantastic! Relevant, funny, topical and totally in tune with our year group'
Head of Year 10, Calderdale school.

'The team were very professional but relaxed in their approach. The pupils particularly enjoyed being treated as adults'
PHSCE Head, Kirklees School.

Love Bites is available to purchase or to book from The Wright Stuff
Telephone: 01484-609933 or email: mail@thewrightstuff.co.uk or visit: www.thewrightstuff.co.uk