Thursday 26 Jul 2007
ESSEX SET TO GET THE NO MESSIN'! SAFETY MESSAGE
- Region & Route:
- Eastern: Anglia
- | Eastern
Hundreds of young people across Essex will have the opportunity to take part in host of free activities as part of Network Rail's No Messin' Live! summer campaign which comes to Chelmsford's King Edward VI Grammar School on August 15 & 16. The No Messin' Live! team takes to the road with a series of regional events following the succesful national launch in London on Tuesday by Champion boxer Amir Khan, who supports the campaign. Amir was joined by Hollyoaks star Claire Cooper who plays Jacqui McQueen in the soap in a fun sparring session to get across some hard hitting messages about the dangers of playing on the railway. Essex kids will also have the chance to put their boxing skills to the test at the Chelmsford event where free activities include a kick boxing simulator, skate ramps, surf machines, DJ lessons, motorcycling, magic skills, bungee running, and a steel drum band. No Messin'! aims 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. The event is free for all young people aged between 9-16 years old. Ian Chapman, Head of Rail Crime Education at Network Rail said: "Lots of young people use the railway as a playground because they think they've nothing else to do. No Messin' Live! aims to get kids interested in different activities and encourages them to try something new. By doing so, we hope to make them think twice about playing on the railway, and avoid potentially life threatening situations." Says Amir Khan: "There's no excuse for mucking about on train tracks. You may think you're clever and fast but a train is quicker and what's clever about getting yourself killed? No Messin' Live! is a great way of finding a better way to spend your time, whether it's trying out new sports, like boxing, or skills such as mixing and having a laugh with your mates too." 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
Date: 15-16 August 2007 Time 11am- 4pm Venue: King Edward VI Grammar School, Broomfield Road, Chelmsford Photography of young people trespassing on the railway is available on request. Last summer, almost 20,000 young people attended ten No Messin' Live! events that took place throughout England, Wales and Scotland. DID YOU KNOW?... - Every four or five days there's a recorded incident of trespass of vandalism on the railway between Romford and Witham – but we can’t record all of them and estimate it's a lot higher. - Up to 60 people are killed on the railway each year by taking short cuts or messing around on the tracks! - Trains travel at up to 125mph and can take the length of 20 football pitches to stop! - It takes up to 25,000 volts of electricity to power trains through the rails and overhead lines. It’s always switched on and can even jump through the air to get to you. If you get too close it can kill – you don’t even have to touch anything to get killed!Contact information
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