Pupils praised for their road safety work

PRIMARY school pupils in Little Bollington, near Lymm have been praised for their unique help with road safety in the village.
Cheshire’s Assistant Chief Fire Officer Richard Ost presented the children with a certificate in recognition of their work.
Fire and police officers have held driver engagement days across the county for many years in a joint road safety initiative.
Under the scheme drivers who break the law by using mobile phones, speed or they and/or their passengers are not wearing seatbelts, are stopped by police and given the option of a fine and licence points, or attendance at an on-the-spot restorative justice road safety educational presentation.
This is delivered by firefighters and community safety advocates.
In Little Bollington the initiative is taken a step further. Along with attending the presentation, drivers are put in front of a jury of primary school pupils from years five and six, and subjected to some harrowing questions relating to their actions potentially resulting in the injury or death of a child.
Fire Service personnel and Cllr Bill Livesley, a member of the Fire Authority, visited the school to surprise pupils who were being given a road safety presentation by Fire Service advocates.
In a double celebration, the school was presented with a bronze firefighter statue and a framed certificate in recognition of the school’s support for road safety.
Presenting the awards Mr Ost said: “By working with young people we are not only educating the road users of tomorrow but also showing the road users of today what the implications of their actions might be.”
Picture: Fire Service chiefs with head teacher Caroline Johnstone and pupils of Little Bollington Primary School.