Student from Ulverston wins Health App competition

A student from Ulverston has won a competition to design a health app and will now see his idea come to life over the summer, spreading the message about a healthy lifestyle for other youngsters in the County.

Harry Tate (12), a student from Ulverston Victoria High School took up a challenge set by Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s ‘life is a rollercoaster’ website to design an ‘APP’ with a health theme that other young people would download and use.

Over 100 ideas were submitted by young people in the County to life is a rollercoaster (www.rollercoaster.nhs.uk) with the entries judged by a panel including young people from Carlisle Young Carers and young volunteers from the DASH (Drug, Alcohol & Sexual Health) service provided by the Trust.
Harry’s ‘Healthrunner’ app is a game with the underlying message being the dangers of smoking and the importance of eating healthily.  An extract from his entry which also contains drawings of how it could look reads:

“the game has a side view of a stick man or woman (you can choose when you play) running on a path.  When you are running you come across some cigarettes and the aim of the game is to dodge the cigarettes by jumping over them or sliding under them.  If you hit a cigarette then you lose health and if you hit too many then you will faint and start back at round one.  For each round you complete it will give you fact about how bad cigarettes are or how good it is to eat healthily.  Also on each round there are bonus fruit or veg to get you extra points.”

As well as seeing his idea come to life he has also won a tablet computer.  23 other entries have also received awards from the Trust.

Kate Norman, e-communications officer said, “The competition has really captured the imagination of young people in Cumbria and there were some very creative ideas on health issues including healthy eating, problems, bullying, anti addictions, and coping with and understanding feelings and friendships.   Young people were very enthusiastic about the competition and excited about the idea of designing their very own app.”

Deborah McKenna, Clinical Lead for School Age Children said, “Young people have led the way right from the very start of the life is a rollercoaster website coming up with the design and stories for the site.  We thought it was really important that they were involved in developing health information using the technology that they are used to dealing with every day.  It was heartwarming to see their enthusiasm when they talked about their ideas for the competition and it has helped reinforce health messages to them all.    Through the development of ‘healthrunner’ we can now spread the message even further among young people in Cumbria.”

The Trust will now be working with Harry Tate to develop his idea, build the APP over the summer and launch it as a real APP in the Autumn.

The full list of winners are:
Best Feelings App
Gold: Rosie Gardner, Milnthorpe - Moodlftr
Silver: Lucy Robinson, Carlisle - Emotion Solver
Bronze: Iona Reilly, Carlisle - Roll a Coaster

Best Healthy Eating App
Gold: Team Appy Apps, Nelson Tomlinson School, Wigton - FATTE:  Anorexia
Silver: Emma Cutting, Lancaster - Free to Cook
Bronze: Zoe Fox, Ulverston - Whack A Fruit

Best Anti Bullying App
Gold: Kelsey Jefferson, Barrow - Bully App
Silver: Jodie Minnican, Barrow - Get Talking
Bronze: Robbie White, Carlisle - Bully Basher

Best Anti Smoking App
Gold: Georgia Richards, Cumbria - Beat smoking
Silver: Emily Parkin, Ulverston - Scissor “em” down
Bronze: William Higgin, Carlisle - Smokinator

Best Addictions App
Gold: Marcus Butcher, South Lakes - Weed Maze
Silver: Connor Landsborough, Furness - Microsoft Windows XP:  Ganja Edition
Bronze:Henry Iddcett, Kirby Stephen - Drug View

Best Name
Gold: Lucy Robinson, Carlisle - Emotion Solver
Silver: Louis Howlieson, Carlisle - Life is like a game
Bronze: Kieron Proudfoot , Ulverston - Dodge the Junk

Best overall
Gold: Harry Tate, Ulverston - Health Runner
Silver: Rosie Gardner, Milnthorpe - Moodlftr
Bronze: Luke Poole, Carlisle - Trouble Advisor