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Tuesday 8 Aug 2006

NO MESSIN’ LIVE! WOLVERHAMPTON EVENT SET TO GET KIDS ON THE RIGHT TRACKS

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No Messin’ Live! – a free two-day event packed full of activities for 10- to 16-year olds – hit Wolverhampton’s Aldersley Leisure Village today, 8 August. The event is one in a series of 10 events taking place during the summer holidays, and forms part of Network Rail’s national campaign to reduce death and injury on the railway by giving young people ideas about positive ways to spend their time. In the past year, almost 50 people were killed and hundreds more were injured either crossing the tracks, taking short cuts, messing around or playing chicken, and Wolverhampton is a hotspot for this kind of activity. In the last two years three young people have died on the tracks in the West Midlands area and recent stats reveal in the Wolverhampton area alone there have been over 100 incidents of trespass and vandalism on the tracks over a period of 15 months (see notes to editors for a specific regional breakdown of these incidents). The young people who attended the event today had the chance to try out a range of activities in three zones – sport, gaming and music – including football, DJ-ing, urban dance, a climbing wall and a surf simulator. Local organisations are providing sports coaches for the two days and will be hoping to recruit young people to carry on with their new hobby once the tour has moved. Local radio, sports clubs and TV dropped into Aldersley Leisure Village, to support the campaign which is also backed by boxing hero Amir Khan, DJ Dave VJ, and athlete Roger Black. Launching the No Messin’ Live campaign earlier this year, Amir Khan said: “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 have a laugh with your mates too.” Network Rail’s Peter Strachan, Route Director for the London North Western region, said: “The young people who use the railway as a playground do so because they think they’ve got nothing else to do. We’re visiting Wolverhampton because it’s a known hotspot for trespassing and vandalism on the railways. “Network Rail is committed to preventing pointless tragedies and No Messin’ Live! aims to show the young people who live here that there is a range of activities available to them, like sport, gaming and music, which – unlike playing on the railway – don’t involve the risk of injury, disfigurement and death.” The No Messin’ Live! campaign isn’t just for the holidays. Network Rail is already working with local youth clubs and community groups in Wolverhampton and will leave something tangible behind that young people can continue to use after the tour has moved on. As the tour is in town for two days, anyone aged 10 to 16 who didn’t make it down on day one is welcome to come along and join in the fun on day two. The event runs from 10am-5pm at Aldersley Leisure Village on 8 and 9 August.