We are very pleased and excited to announce that the StayWise Cymru website was launched in partnership with the Welsh Fire & Rescue Services at the Urdd Eisteddfod which was held this year during May in Llandovery.

The StayWise Cymru website is an online resource that brings blue light and safety-focused organisations together with the key aim, to share our specific educational knowledge. The StayWise Cymru website has been compiled into three very easily accessible areas, one section is for teachers with a free login area, another section is for the wider public and the third is for blue light & safety-focused organisations. Instead of trying to find critical safety information from the multitude of places, spaces, and online messages which the internet offers, we now have it all together in one clear place. The aim is to provide fantastic, useful, concise educational resources. 

The public area of the StayWise Cymru site has a fun yet informative and welcoming activity centre with specific resources from interactive games, age specific storybooks, videos, activity sheets, all with a clear aim and direction while also being easy to navigate. Separately the teacher area can be easily navigated and concentrated towards key subject areas and ages which makes the StayWise Cymru Website a useful centre for education with correct messaging. 

We’re thrilled to announce that DangerPoint, the safety centre based in North Wales, have just qualified for the Charity Excellence Quality Mark.

​The quality mark provides evidence to stakeholders and funders of their commitment to excellence, reassurance to the trustees that the charity is well run and recognition for all their wonderful staff for what they are consistently achieving.

The assessment covers- promoting good governance, effective strategy, leading and managing people well, effective delivery of operations, efficient use of finance and resources, maximising income generation and effective communications.
As an Alliance, we'd like to offer our congratulations to the Charity in their achievement!
To find out more, please visit www.charityexcellence.co.uk

Hazard Alley, the safety centre in Milton Keynes has spoken about their lifesaving knife crime education work with ITV news, talking about the importance of early intervention prevention education and how this must continue. Their CEO Maya Joseph-Hussain spoke with Rebecca Haworth from ITV news about their work and the role the Safety Centre plays helping create safer futures. 
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Maya said:
There’s a culture amongst our young people that its ok to be carrying a knife or a weapon, maybe they’re unaware of the risk to themselves and the wider community. We know that the issue of knife crime hasn’t gone away and we’ve got to keep tackling it together.
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Their expert education team are delivering lifesaving learning across the region and can support your organisation. Dr Stuart Lawrence, younger brother of Stephen Lawrence who was murdered in a racist attack 30 years ago spoke recently about the importance of this education work.
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Find out more about how the Safety Centre can support your school with lifesaving early intervention learning by calling the team on 01908 263009 or email info@safetycentre.co.uk

Hazard Alley were thrilled to welcome Dr Stuart Lawrence, the younger brother of Stephen Lawrence, to their centre in November. He spoke about the vital importance of promoting early intervention knife crime education across the region and beyond through the Safety Centre Charity, the region’s leading and the world’s first safety education charity. Stuart shared his story, experiences and messages of hope and tolerance. They were also joined by Assistant Chief Constable Katy Barrow-Grint from Thames Valley police talking about knife crime and how Thames Valley police is preparing for the Knife Angel coming to Milton Keynes this December.
The Importance of Knife Crime Safety EducationThey were excited to invite Dr Lawrence to talk with community leaders from across the region about the vital importance of early intervention knife crime education. Our role to support the development of flourishing communities within our region and beyond starts by responding to emerging safety trends. Unfortunately, knife crime is now an issue that children and young people need to be able to understand from an early age. This is why we’ve developed our early intervention knife crime safety education initiative in schools and at our education centre Hazard Alley. The programme talks about the choices young people have and the impact of these choices. Our education specialists create safe spaces for life saving conversations and education, in a meaningful, sensitive, age-appropriate way.
Dr Lawrence said:
“Early intervention is so important, at the end of the day the only person you can control is you and you need to have the tools to make safe choices. Education can be the most powerful tool in the world and the earlier we can give people the tools to be safe, the more it helps. We need to explain to young people that time is precious, and life is precious. One fifth of knife crime is committed by 10-17 year olds and there’s a lot more we can do early on to explain to children the importance of life and that there’s always an amicable way of solving things.”
Assistant Chief Constable from Thames Valley Police Katy Barrow-Grint said:
“Seven out of the eleven murders in Thames Valley in the last year have come about because of a knife. I’m sure you’ll agree with me enough is enough. The preservation of life and working to address root causes and helping to save lives from being lost to violence but the wider impact in our communities and offenders themselves must be integral to everything we do as a partnership.”
Maya, Chief Executive of the Safety Centre said:
“We’re delighted to be joined by Dr Stuart Lawrence to talk about his experiences and the vital role the Safety Centre plays in educating children and young people through our early knife crime intervention programme. This education initiative can save lives through creating safe spaces for impactful immersive learning and vital conversations about the consequences of being involved in knife crime. These conversations and sessions are potentially lifesaving and I’m proud to be leading a team of education specialists delivering pioneering safety education across our region.”
To find out more about the Safety Centre charity and how you can support our work contact us on info@safetycentre.co.uk. To talk to us about our education packages and how your school can get involved contact our education team on educationteam@safetycentre.co.uk or call 01908 263009.

DangerPoint have introduced a brand new sustainability tour, ActionPoint, which launched in October 2022! ActionPoint is a completely different tour to the Core Programme offering. The new tour will be shorter but is still packed full of information.
So what will visitors learn from an ActionPoint tour?
Topics such as how to be more sustainable, what is recycling, where our food comes from, climate change and many others will be discussed during a visit. The aim of this tour is to educate pupils on how we can be more sustainable by changing our routine slightly which can make a huge difference. ActionPoint has been designed to engage the children in a fun and interactive way and includes resources for follow-on work.
There are a limited number of places available that have been subsided via funding from the Big Lottery Together for your Planet fund and will be delivered as a pilot initially. 
If you would like further information about the ActionPoint tour, please contact DangerPoint directly. 

The Safety Centre Charity are delighted to announce that they are White Ribbon Accredited and are joining other dedicated organisations with a commitment to working to end men’s violence against women.
The Safety Centre has committed to working to end men’s violence against women by becoming White Ribbon Accredited. As an Accredited organisation, the Safety Centre will develop and deliver a comprehensive Action Plan to change the cultures that lead to abuse and violence and promote gender equality.
White Ribbon is a global campaign that encourages people, and especially men and boys, to individually and collectively take action and change the behaviour and culture that leads to abuse and violence. To wear a white ribbon is to promise to never to commit, excuse or remain silent about male violence against women.
Sarah Surridge, Marketing & Communications Manager said: 
We’re really pleased to have received our White Ribbon accreditation and look forward to working on our action plans to change cultures of abuse and promote gender equality. As pioneers of safety education its important to continue to develop our work supporting our communities in a meaningful, impactful way.
White Ribbon Charity – Working To End Men’s Violence Against WomenWhite Ribbon is a global campaign that encourages people, especially men and boys to individually and collectively take action and change the behaviour and culture that leads to abuse and violence. To wear a white ribbon is to promise to never commit, excuse or remain silent about male violence against women.
White Ribbon UK is part of the global White Ribbon movement to end men’s violence against women and is the leading charity that is ending men’s violence against women by engaging with men and boys to make a stand against violence. White Ribbon works with individuals, organisations, and policy makers towards wholesale culture change to prevent violence before it starts.
Anthea Sully, Chief Executive of White Ribbon UK said
White Ribbon Accredited organisations are able to make a real difference towards ending violence against women by promoting a culture of respect and equality, among their staff and wider communities. By raising awareness among employees, people can learn how to become allies and call out violent and abuse behaviour when they see it, at work and in the wider community. We are delighted to welcome The Safety Centre Charity as one of our White Ribbon Accredited organisations and are looking forward to working with them towards ending violence against women once and for all.

Three new recruits will help Dorset skills for life charity SafeWise roll out new programmes to wider audiences as it continues with ambitious development plans for its learning villages in Bournemouth and Weymouth.
 
Experienced teacher Sue Sharpe has been appointed as Programmes Manager, and is joined by Programme Development Officer Sarah Jane Woods and SafeWise Weymouth site supervisor Steve Dewland.
 
In addition to years clocked up in the classroom, Sue, from Wool, has worked in various education roles, including with English National Ballet and English Touring Opera, and brings a wide of range of skills and knowledge to the newly created role at SafeWise.
 
Sue said: “The first time I looked around the SafeWise learning villages I thought they were fantastic because the big thing is ‘doing’ not ‘talking’, so children and other visitors learn through hands on experience, and that cements the message in their minds.”
 
Programmes Development Officer Sarah Jane Woods, from Creekmoor, will work with Sue on developing new programmes including older people and young people leaving home for the first time.
 
She will also work to integrate financial education into all scripts at an appropriate level.
 
Sarah Jane, who brings a host of contacts and project management skills after working for the NHS, local authorities and other organisations, said: “I’m passionate about life skills, and am looking forward to using all my knowledge and experience to forge forward and drive the new programmes to success.”
 
Sue and Sarah Jane will work across the charity’s centres, and are joined by Steve Dewland who is based at SafeWise Weymouth as Site Supervisor, who will help keep the centre up and running on a daily basis. 
 
Portlander Steve has been Site Supervisor for large masonry companies across the country as well as at sand and gravel quarries, where he was responsible for large teams and projects.  
 
Steve’s also been in demand across the UK to carry out big restoration and conservation jobs on historic buildings, including landmark buildings in central London. 
 
He is already putting his skills to good use to develop recently introduced scenarios at SafeWise Weymouth, including a beach, campsite, park, electricity sub-station, double-decker bus and railway.
 
Steve said: “I had retired and was looking for something to stop me getting bored that would make a difference.I saw the SafeWise job come up, which is a good cause and may help save a kiddie’s life one day, which is what it’s all about.”
 
The new developments mean that SafeWise now needs more volunteer visitor guides to help schools, groups and other visitors learn essential skills for life in its learning villages in Bournemouth and Weymouth. Call 01202 591330, email volunteer@safewise.org or go to www.safewise.org/volunteer to find out more.
 
Chief Executive Rob Hattersley said: “I would like to welcome Sarah Jane, Steve and Sue to SafeWise, and say a big thank you to our funders and sponsors that have made their recruitment possible, especially Wessex Water, Dorset Council, Postcode Lottery and Strategic Solutions.”
 
“It’s a great time to join SafeWise as we launch exciting new programmes, and continue with ambitious development plans at our learning villages in Bournemouth and Weymouth.
 
“We are recruiting right now for volunteer visitor guides so get in touch if you fancy getting involved with SafeWise being on board for the next exciting stage of our journey.” 

Plans for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service's new state-of the art interactive community safety hub in Bury have been given the green light by town hall planners.

The hub forms part of a larger multi-million pound firefighter training facility and will allow local people and schoolchildren in particular to learn how to protect themselves against fire and other dangers.

Visitors will arrive into a simulated fire control room where they'll see the different types of incidents GMFRS attends and have the chance to listen to a real 999 call. During their visit, which will be free of charge, groups will find out what it’s like to be a firefighter for the day and they'll experience all the elements of a real fire – the smell of smoke, the heat of a fire and the sound of the sirens.

Chair of Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Authority, Councillor David Acton, said: “We’re delighted that plans for our new firefighter training and community centre have been given the go ahead. This development will be a great asset not just for the Bury community but for the whole of Greater Manchester."

Work is due to begin on the site at Wellington Street by the end of the year and it’s expected that the development will be open in 2016.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/manchesterfire/14171337149/in/photostream/

Councillors have granted planning permission for Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service's ambitious new safety and lifeskills centre at Lymm near Warrington.

The decision by Warrington Borough Council means that work on the £3.8m facility is likely to commence in January 2015. It is due to open its doors to visitors in the summer of 2016.

The centre, with its four immersive learning zones, will be housed in a striking circular building that it will share with a wholetime fire station for the communities of Lymm and the surrounding area.

For further information visit www.cheshirefire.gov.uk/public-safety/safety-centre