NO MESSIN HEADS TO LEEDS

Friday 25 Jul 2008

NO MESSIN HEADS TO LEEDS

Region & Route:

Calling all Leeds contenders! So you reckon you've got skills? Well it's time to prove it!

Network Rail is bringing its summer No Messin' Live! tour to town - and they're looking for young people with the bottle to try something new - whether it's canoeing, boxing, urban dance, or even just showing your gaming skills on the newest computer games before they hit the shops.

All activities are free and open to anyone aged between 9 and 16 years, from noon to 4pm at East Leeds Leisure Centre on 31 July and 1 August 2008. A music stage will also feature local bands.

From 5pm to 8pm on 31 July ONLY there will also be an evening event featuring live music for the over-14s.

The award winning No Messin' campaign is run by Network Rail and is aimed at tackling crime and saving lives on the railway. It gives young people the opportunity to try something different and maybe find a new interest - away from messing around on or near railway lines.

Dozens of people are killed or seriously injured on the railway every year by mucking about on the tracks. Leeds has the worst record for railway crime in the country which is why the tour is coming to town.

The event is being supported by Leeds Youth Services, West Yorkshire Police, Breeze, British Transport Police (BTP), Leeds Youth Offending services and many others.

Activities include:
Waterwalkers
Canoeing
Urban/Street Dance
Football Freestyler Colin Nell
EA Games zone
Graffiti / art Workshops
Bowling Alley
Motorbikes
Wrestling
Boxing
Local bands playing on stage
DJ-ing, provided by Positive Futures
Climbing wall, provided by Leeds Youth Services

Notes to editors

No Messin' this year won the prestigious Business in the Community BUPA Healthy Communities Award. Network Rail has a team of ten rail crime education managers that work across the UK in conjunction with a range of community agencies and organisations including youth offending services; independent community, sports and youth groups; British Transport Police and local police; train operating companies, premiership and football league clubs, and schools to try and prevent crime by spreading awareness of the dangers of trespass on the railway and the consequences of vandalism and other crimes. It also works with these groups to encourage and involve young people in healthier and more purposeful activities including sports, music art and dance. Dozens of people are killed or seriously injured on the railway every year by mucking about on the tracks. In the past year more than 200 incidents of trespass or vandalism have been recorded on the railway in the Leeds area. The worst ten affected areas are listed below: 1. Leeds station 2. Morley 3. Mickelfield 4. Bramley 5. Horsforth 6. Cottingley 7. Beeston 8. Crossgates 9. Ardsley 10. Armley junction

Contact information

Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41

Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries

Journalists
Network Rail press office -London North Eastern & East Midlands route
01904 383180
mediarelations@networkrail.co.uk

About Network Rail

We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.

Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.

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