Media centre

Wednesday 16 Jun 2004

CHILDREN LEARN THE IMPORTANCE OF RAILWAY SAFETY

Region & Route:

| Wales & Western: Wales & Borders

| Wales & Western: Western

| Wales & Western

Network Rail was one of many organisations promoting the importance of safety to children at the 999 Life Skills day at the Royal Bath & West of England Showground at Shepton Mallet on 15 June.  As part of the day’s activities, local school children visited the Network Rail information stand, where staff were on hand to answer their questions on railway safety.  The Incident Command Vehicle – which is called out for major incidents – was also present for the children to explore. The 1,000-plus schoolchildren who were present were treated to a whole host of exciting scenarios, which included: a chip pan fire demonstration, police and fire dogs in action, and an air ambulance flying in to rescue casualties. The culmination of the day was a major multi- agency drama, where a stolen car was followed by police, and then involved in a crash, with the Fire Service and Ambulance crews coming to the rescue. In the run up to National Railway Crime Week, which is running between 21 and 27 June, Network Rail is urging children to keep away from railway lines.   Bristol and Cardiff are the areas worst affected by railway crime in the Wales and West Country region, and National Railway Crime Week is aimed at drawing attention to the human and financial cost. - more - 999 Life Skills -2 Nancy Garcia, Network Rail’s Route Crime Manager, said:  “We work throughout the year to tackle the problem of railway crime and safety, the majority of which is perpetrated by young people.  Our message is clear: the railway lines are not a place to play, and anyone trespassing on them is putting not only their own life at risk, but also those of the passengers and rail staff.” Ian MacDonald, Route Crime Co-ordinator for the British Transport Police, added:  “Days such as this provide a great opportunity for the emergency services and organisations such as Network Rail to promote safety awareness in our everyday environments.  They not only educate children at a young age of potential hazards, but go some way to saving lives.”