Over 800 local pupils join District Council and partners for Safety Events

The District Council, alongside Nottinghamshire Police and Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service and other partners, hosted sessions dedicated to educating school children about a variety of safety issues, from water and fire safety to the dangers of littering and wildlife crime.

The first weeklong event was held at Sconce and Devon Park with children from schools in the local area, and then the following week the same sessions were held at Vicar Water Country Park with local schools in order to ensure the sessions reached a large number of primary school pupils across the district. 

The sessions included activities and educational talks from officers from the District Council, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, Nottinghamshire Police, VIA, Sherwood Forest, RLNI, Hope, and Newark Community First Aid. Volunteers from Lincoln College also lent a hand during the Sconce and Devon sessions, providing invaluable support to keep the day running smoothly.

Each day a new set of pupils joined the teams, and got to take part in sessions including:

• A Motion for the Ocean hunt – pupils were educated on the harmful impact littering has on the health of waterways and oceans and then set off on a hunt to search for waste items and how they degrade.
• A wildlife crime play and educational exercise – officers from Nottinghamshire Police cast the pupils as roles in a short wildlife crime scenario to understand the consequences of littering and wildlife, and then tested their knowledge about illegal behaviour.
• Identifying fire hazards in Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service’s ‘Risky Room’ – the pupils explored the ‘risky’ kitchen and bedroom which had been set up with several fire hazards, including damaged wires, heaters covered with clothes and papers, charging e-scooters, and more.
• A water safety rescue exercise with Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service – pupils got to practice their life saving skills after officers taught them how to rescue someone from the water safely using throw bag safety lines.
• First Aid training with Newark Community First Aid – pupils were taught step-by-step how to respond if someone is found unconscious, including checking for responsiveness, calling 999, performing CPR and locating and using defibrillators.

Matthew Finch, Director of Communities and Environment at Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: “From wildlife crime and the environmental impacts of littering to learning CPR and how to save someone from the water, these events have covered so many vital safety issues and it was really fantastic to see the children learn in such an interactive environment.

“We are all dedicated to creating a safer district, and these events have been incredible examples of the reach we can have and the resources we can commit when we work together with our local partners and schools. Educating younger generations is a vital part of creating long-term behaviour changes, and I’d like to thank everyone that worked so hard to make these events a success.”

Inspector Charlotte Ellam, District Commander for Newark and Sherwood said: “We’re really pleased to be able to work with our local partners on this important education project for young people across Newark and Sherwood.

“Our officers held sessions around rural and wildlife crime each day across the two weeks, which we estimate around 1,000 schoolchildren attended and benefited from.

“It is really important that we engage with, and educate, impressionable schoolchildren to help them understand what types of behaviour are acceptable to be an upstanding member of our communities and equip them with the life skills necessary to keep themselves safe.

“Keeping people safe is our top priority as a police force, so we’re always keen to get involved in anything like this that can make a positive difference to our communities.”

Michelle Fitzpatrick, District Prevention Officer for Newark and Sherwood, said: “The series of events that have been delivered over the district have been a huge success. 

“We‘ve engaged with 850 children and given them life saving advice when it comes to fire, road and water safety, hoping that they take this advice into the summer holidays and beyond.

“A huge thank you to all of our partners for their input with these events - it’s shown collaboration at its finest, as we all strive for a safer Nottinghamshire.”