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Wednesday 22 Aug 2007

MIDDLESBROUGH GETS THE NO MESSIN' MESSAGE

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Players from Middlesbrough FC and football freestyle expert, Colin Nell, joined more than 1,000 young people in Middlesbrough at Network Rail's No Messin' Live! summer campaign this week at the Acorn centre. The young people took part in a range of free activities, including skateboarding, trampolining, boxing, and football with coaches from Middlesbrough FC. There was also arts and crafts entertainments a surf machine and bungee run. 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. Neil Henry, area general manager for Network Rail, said: "We're really pleased that so many turned out for the event as Middlesbrough 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.