SOUTHAMPTON Local Safeguarding Children’s Board is inviting parents, carers and members of the community to see a hardhitting play about Child Sexual Exploitation.

Chelsea’s Choice, will be presented at three Southampton venues at evening performances on June 22-24.

Before and after the performance there will be the opportunity for the audience to find out more and if needed to talk privately to local agencies including Barnardos, NSPCC, Hampshire Constabulary, Southampton City Council, Love 146, No Limits and more.

Sheila Taylor, National Working Group for Sexually Exploited Children and Young People, said: “AlterEgo’s ‘Chelsea’s Choice’ is an innovative and powerful production highlighting the very serious and emotional issue of child sexual exploitation.

"The production shows how young people, boys and girls, are groomed by adults for the purposes of sexual exploitation using various methods, ensnaring young people and eventually taking complete control and dominating their whole lives.

"The audience will gain a better understanding of the devastating impact that sexual exploitation has on a young person’s life.

"This is a very useful and innovative way of raising awareness of the issues relating to sexual exploitation and reaching young people, giving them some skills and knowledge to be able to protect themselves from this form of abuse."

The play’s writer/creative director Sean McGraph said: ”We were commissioned by a charity to create the play when Child Sexual Exploitation started to get on the radar five years ago. We worked with them and based it on case studies.

"It has since been seen by 250,000 people across the UK. We present it to Year 8 students and above as well as to older groups including police forces and social services.

“It helps to raise awareness that it can happen, whilst adults need to understand the complexity of the grooming process and how young people can be manipulated and coerced.

“It’s hard-hitting; it’s not a nice subject matter but we get great feedback about how their awareness has been raised and the importance of a healthy relationship.

“Chelsea’s Choice tells the story of three students who find the diary of a girl, Chelsea, who becomes isolated from her family and friends and is groomed by a predatory older man.

"In a discussion with their teacher, they attempt to understand what happened to Chelsea and how it could have been prevented."

In each performance there are four actors playing nine characters, and the story is built up as a comedy with a shocking end, which shows how devastating grooming can be.

Chelsea’s Choice performances are:

  • Monday June 22 7pm – Cantell School, Violet Road, Swaythling, Southampton SO16 3GJ
  • Tuesday June 23 7pm – Oasis Academy Mayfield, Ashley Crescent, Southampton, SO19 9NA
  • Wednesday June 24 7pm – Southampton Football Club, Britannia Road Southampton, SO14 5FP