Children's Crucial Lessons About Staying Safe

Hundreds of North Norfolk's nine-year-olds will be converging on RAF Neatishead next month for a week-long event aimed at promoting good citizenship, preserving personal safety and combating antisocial behaviour.

The Crucial Crew initiative, from 10 to 14 October, will see 100 or more children a day watching or enacting scenarios and dramatisations designed to give them an understanding of how to stay safe and tackle difficult situations wisely.

Authorities and agencies including Norfolk Constabulary, North Norfolk District Council, Norfolk Fire Service, the Coastguard, the Norfolk Youth Offending Team (made up of social workers, health professionals, police and probation officers), the Maddermarket Theatre and the Royal Air Force will be putting the children through their paces in about 10 interactive scenes to see how they would react, and to teach them about the dangers involved.

Scenarios include:
• fire safety - the children study a mock 'bedroom', and have to identify hazards in the scene; the room is then filled with (harmless) smoke to help explain the reality of escaping a fire
• water safety - the children learn about beach safety, including the system of flags used in swimming areas on the coast
• personal safety - a lesson about self-awareness and avoiding, escaping and reporting dangers
• farm safety - using a model to illustrate some of the hazards found around the farm
• antisocial behaviour - what it is, how it affects people, and how to stop it from happening
• looking after mobile phones - a lesson about preventing or dealing with theft, with practices like property marking, how to give a description to police, etc.

Groups of six to eight children will do a circuit of all scenarios in two-hour sessions. Two sessions will be held each day - 9.30 to 11.30am and 12.45 to 2.45pm - Monday to Friday. All schools in North Norfolk District from Sheringham eastwards have been invited, and as many as 600 children are expected to attend over the course of the week.

Teaching packs have been developed to tie the event into National Curriculum studies, and teachers have been invited to discuss the event with the organisers beforehand so any queries can be answered.

The media are welcome to attend the event. They must arrange their visit with Teri Munro, North Norfolk Safer Communities Partnership Officer, on 01263 516278 or 07879 658820 so they can get access to the RAF base at an agreed time.

NOTES FOR EDITOR

• RAF Neatishead, near Horning, is now a Remote Radar Head and will continue to house about 50 personnel. RRH Neatishead will provide sensor information into the United Kingdom Air Surveillance and Control System, from which operators control the activities of United Kingdom Air Space. Neatishead intends to continue playing a part within the local community - for example by providing a venue for Crucial Crew.
• Media contacts:
  Safer Communities Partnership: Teri Munro, 01263 516278 or 07879 658820
  RAF: Flt Lt Nikki Duncan, 01692 633438
  Fire Service: Doug Underwood, 01603 229023
  

ENDS