Pupils rewarded for roadside safety

Pupils at a primary school in Llanbradach have been rewarded for taking part in a successful road safety scheme that gives children lifesaving lessons at the kerbside.

Primary and infant schools across the Caerphilly county borough are taking part in the 'Kerbcraft' initiative which involves specially trained staff taking pupils onto the streets for practical road safety lessons.

Coed y Brain Primary School in Llanbradach recently completed the scheme and all the children and volunteers attended a special event this week to receive their certificates and gifts.

Cllr Rob Gough, CCBC cabinet member for transportation and planning, said, "Kerbcraft is proving to be a great success and we would like to thank everyone involved, especially the volunteers and schools. The scheme teaches children how to be safe pedestrians by providing them with practical roadside training and to develop good behaviour patterns that will hopefully keep them safe."

The scheme is currently funded by the Welsh Assembly Government who realised the importance of the scheme and have set a target of reducing child pedestrian casualties by 50% by the year 2010.

Tracy Plant and Jessica Dix are the council's Child Pedestrian Training Co-ordinators for CCBC who manages the Kerbcraft project. They have five assistants, Adele Phelps, Andrea Williams, Jeanette Aldridge, Vicky Knight and Judith Gould.

To help the project continue in each school the council needs to recruit volunteers (eg parents and grandparents). If you feel that you would like to help save children's lives then please do not hesitate to contact Jessica or Tracy on 01495 235078/235427 for more information.