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Wednesday 9 Mar 2005

PHOTOCALL: NO MESSIN’ ON THE RAILWAY

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Date:               Monday 14 March 2005 Time:              7pm Location:        Clifton Resource Centre, off Queensway, Clifton Estate, Salford Journalists and photographers are invited to attend the launch of the new ‘No Messin’ campaign in Salford with Network Rail-sponsored Swinton & Pendlebury Anglers and the Joint England fishing team manager, Mark Addy. Jo Green, Network Rail’s General Manager (Manchester), said: “We are extremely proud to be working in partnership with Swinton & Pendlebury Anglers youth club, and are confident they will help us to reinforce the message of the dangers of playing on or near the railway. “ Details of local sporting events and competitions aimed at educating children and young people on railway safety, along with exciting chances to win an i-Pod, will soon be available on www.no-messin.com. Youngsters from the Swinton & Pendlebury Anglers club will be attending the launch along with representatives from the Salford Railway Crime Group (a joint action group established last year by Network Rail, the British Transport Police, Salford Community Safety Partnership and the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive). The Salford Rail Crime Group was established last year after an increase in railway crime in the area, and Clifton was chosen for the event because historically it has suffered from high levels of trespass and route crime by children and young people. Network Rail has sponsored the club, allowing it to buy new equipment for the youth fishing club with the aim of encouraging the young people to fill their evenings with something other than messing around on the tracks. These are just a few of the new educational initiatives that Network Rail has set up in an attempt to further reduce railway crime committed by young people by giving them alternatives to playing on the railways. Every year hundreds of children are injured and killed playing on the railway. For those who survive, many are left with horrific burns or scars after they are electrocuted and some lose limbs after being hit by trains. Vandalism on the railway, which is mainly committed by children and young people, costs the rail industry £264 million each year. Thousands of objects are placed on the track in front of trains each year. Some of these objects are placed there by children ‘just to see what happens’, but research has shown they often move on to using larger objects such as gas canisters, concrete blocks, scaffolding, rubbish bins and even stolen vehicles. The ’No Messin’ campaign will complement the educational work already being carried out in schools and young peoples’ groups by Network Rail External Liaison Officers and the Football in the Community scheme, where the company works closely with football clubs in areas that are hotspots for railway crime, with top coaches spelling out the serious consequences of playing on the railways.