Xmas Factor 2007

Puppets singing about the virtues of abstinence, a play highlighting the risk of teenage pregnancy and a rap on the importance of contraception were just some of the highlights of Xmas Factor 2007, held at the Bonington Theatre, Arnold on Tuesday 18th December.

Celebrity guests Eton Road compered the event, now in its third year, before closing the show by performing their new single and some covers.

Some six acts took part in the competition, which is run by the Nottinghamshire County Teenage Pregnancy Partnership, having been selected by an expert panel of judges in October. Derek Higton, Head of the Youth Support Service, was one of the judges on the day, and opened the show with a short speech about the key themes of the event: "This event has two key themes: not rushing into sex, and taking responsibility for sexual health."

Performers

The first act to take to the stage was a drama group from Hucknall Interchange, consisting of Nikki, Chris, Gemma, Jade, Ashleigh, Melissa, Terrance and Michael. Their play was a successful mixture of comedy and drama. and touched on the key themes of the day.

The next act to perform were the The Stinging Nettles and Friends, arguably the most original act of the whole day. The four performers combined a puppet show with a comical song that Tenacious D would be proud of. Amending the lyrics of '12 Days of Christmas' to promote abstinence, the puppet ensemble advocated such things as watching Eastenders with your partner as an alternative to sex.

Gemma Kellam, was up next, performing an original composition. Her enchanting voice perfectly suited the mood of the song, which carried a groove reminiscent of Jamelia at her peak. The lyrical content of the song focused on resisting peer pressure, and contained such lines as "I'd rather be safe than sorry with you". The judges were clearly impressed, saying: "Gemma had a really strong voice. The song was strong and had a good message." Speaking after her performance, Gemma, 16, from Woodhouse, said, "It's actually easier to sing about this kind of thing than talk about it! It's such an important message though and it needs to be listened to."

Gemma was followed by another singing performance, this time from Helena and Naomi from Newark and Mansfield respectively. Their performance was characterised by tight vocal harmonies and a cool, catchy melody which had celebrity guests Eton Road singing along. A rap in the middle eight went down extremely well with the crowd of young people, and a simple dance routine added to the polished performance.

The fifth act to take to the stage was Double Impact Boyz, from Manton. The rap from the two front men produced such energy it could have powered the light show which accompanied the performance on its own. The lyrics focused on the acquisition of contraception, and the judges were particularly pleased with the reference to the C-Card scheme which operates in the County.

The final performance was from Westfield Folkhouse. Laura, Tanya, Tammy, Kaysha, Tanneka, Hannah, Kirstie and Cameron produced a play which highlighted the dangers of drinking and how it can affect the decisions you make. The play had its lighter moments too, with the seasonal favourite 'Frosty the Snowman' being amended to 'Johnny the Condom', to the obvious delight of the audience and judges alike. Hannah and Laura later explained how they became involved in the show, "We got involved through our Youth Centre. We wanted to do a drama and the youth workers were really helpful."

Results

Before announcing the winners, Derek Higton, who was one of the judges, was keen to emphasise how high the standard had been, and how close the results were, with only a few points separating first and last place. The winners were:-

1st Place - Helena and Naomi

2nd Place - Double Impact Boyz

3rd Place - Westfield Folkhouse