Rock against Domestic Abuse

Friday, 5th March, 2010

For the first time, Angus has this year held a regional heat in the UK Rock Challenge. The event was held in Webster's Theatre, Arbroath on Tuesday evening with 5 Angus Secondary Schools taking part. It was an excellent evening with the schools delivering five exceptionally professional performances on different themes.

Montrose Academy was declared the outright winner for their performance of Dance/Music on the theme of Domestic Abuse and they will now compete in a national final in Grimsby later in the year.


The UK Rock challenge is a performing arts initiative which has been running for 15 years that delivers lifestyle messages to young people aged 7-18 years in schools, colleges and youth groups throughout the UK.

It aims to increase the resilience of young people to negative influences through developing their self esteem, improving their teamwork skills and building on their talent, commitment and enthusiasm.


So, congratulations to Montrose Academy staff and pupils for a superb performance which supports us in our work of raising awareness around domestic abuse issues.


Evelyn Allardyce, Chair of Angus Partnership on Domestic Abuse congratulated all who took part in the event for their commitment and attention to detail. In particular she congratulated Montrose Academy whose powerful portrayal of domestic abuse made them winners of the Angus Rock Challenge 2010. Evelyn stated that she  was delighted for Montrose Academy and had been moved by their performance.

"Domestic Abuse is such a sensitive subject and to see young people portray the issues through dance and music is something Montrose Academy should be very proud of. There have been over 1000 cases of Domestic Abuse reported in Angus over the last year. It is important that young people understand the effects that domestic abuse can have on their lives and to be able to get this message over to their peers is no mean feat. Montrose Academy showed that Domestic Abuse can happen to anyone, in any setting and at any age. Angus Partnership on Domestic Abuse is working with schools to raise their awareness and the effort of Montrose Academy in the Rock Challenge gives an indication that the message is being taken seriously."