BRISTOL GETS THE NO MESSIN' MESSAGE

Monday 13 Aug 2007

BRISTOL GETS THE NO MESSIN' MESSAGE

Region & Route:: | Wales & Western: Wales & Borders; | Southern: Wessex; | Wales & Western; | Southern

Over 500 young people in Bristol took part in a range of free activities as part of Network Rail's No Messin' Live! summer campaign at City Academy. The young people took part in a range of activities, including basketball, DJ-ing, football freestyling, climbing wall and dance. The event aimed to raise awareness of railway safety amongst young people by giving them ideas about positive ways to spend their time, rather than play on the railway. John Gill, Network Rail's Area General Manager for the West Country, said: "We're really pleased that so many turned out for the event as Bristol is a hotspot for rail crime. By giving these people the opportunity to try out different activities, it encourages them not to use the railway as a playground as they've nothing else to do." Twelve No Messin' Live! events are taking place throughout the summer holidays across the UK. They are backed by boxing hero Amir Khan who launched the campaign on 24 July in London. Says Amir Khan: “It’s really important to give kids a chance to do something positive with their spare time. It’s great to support an initiative like No Messin’, which is a free opportunity for them to focus on something worthwhile rather than risking their lives on the train tracks. I have been boxing professionally since the age of 11 and it has allowed me to remain focused and put my energy into something that I could make a career out of." The No Messin' campaign isn't just for the holidays. Network Rail has a team of dedicated Railway Crime Education Managers working closely with other parts of the railway industry, offering railway safety information and visiting schools, young offending teams, youth clubs and local authorities throughout the UK.

Notes to editors

Venue: City Academy, Russell Town Avenue, Bristol, BS5 9JH. No Messin' Live! took place on 9-10 August and was free for all 9-16 year olds. Bristol Statistics: In the past 12 months (August 06 - July 07), almost 100 reported railway crime incidents have involved young people trespassing or vandalising the railway in Bristol. These have involved: Trespass: 63 reported incidents Vandalism: 28 reported incidents, including young people throwing stones and dangling concrete over bridges Near Misses: 4 reported incidents, 3 of which have occurred in the Stapleton Road area Last summer, almost 20,000 young people attended ten No Messin' Live! events that took place throughout England, Wales and Scotland.

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