Following confirmation from the landlord that the preferred site at Sydenham Road had been let to another bidder, the project team moved swiftly to identify and evaluate a number of potential replacement sites with the assistance of colleagues from the Estates Services Business Unit (ESBU). A recommendation was placed before the project board and subsequently approved which has provided a renewed focus for the design team who have now developed a revised scenario floor plan for the new location.

Commenting on the current position, the Project Manager Mr P Bardon confirmed that the new site, which is situated on the Heron Road in Belfast, is approximately 3 miles from the previous location. Mr Bardon also confirmed that following a series of successful discussions with key stakeholders, a number of issues have been resolved and the Outline Business Case has now been formally approved and funding identified adding that whilst the loss of the Sydenham Road site was very disappointing and somewhat unexpected, the design team hope to be able to minimise the impact by adapting a large proportion of the existing scenario design scheme requirements and reusing them within the footprint of the new site. Barring any further unforeseen incidents, the project manager stated that they hope to have completed the tender and evaluation process by December 2012 adding that it is anticipated that building work will start on site early in 2013.

The Dangerpoint Centre in North Wales has been successful in gaining re- accreditation for the Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge. Once again, the Centre has proven to be at the top of the class for education visits by being awarded the Quality Badge, which combines learning and safety into one easily recognisable indicator.

The LOtC Quality Badge is the only nationally recognised indicator of good quality educational provision and effective risk management. The award indicates that the Centre understands schools’ needs and can tailor services to fit in with both the current curriculum requirements and any specific requirements of the school. There are six high level generic quality indicators that establishments must achieve, which are:

1. The provider has a process in place to assist users to plan the learning experience effectively;
2. The provider provides accurate information about its services;
3. The provider provides activities or experiences which meet learner needs;
4. The provider reviews the experience and acts upon feedback;
5. The provider meets the needs of users; and
6. The provider has safety management processes in place to manage risk effectively.

Julie Evans, Centre Manager at DangerPoint said, ‘Receiving re-accreditation for the Quality Badge is a real achievement for all the staff here as it confirms that we offer young people the type of high quality learning experiences they really benefit from.’ You can find out more information about the award on the LOtC Quality Badge website.

Since opening the Centre in October 2005, DangerPoint has developed its core programme delivery to suit different age ranges and abilities of our visitors. For further information about the different programmes delivered at the Centre, please contact one of the team to discuss.

The RADAR NI Project Board has been informed by the Agents for their preferred site at Sydenham Road that another prospective tenant has put an offer to the Landlord which has been accepted. RADAR is a new safety centre which is planned for Northern Ireland in 2013/14.

The Project Team along with the Design Team have initiated a search for potential new sites that will not only fulfil the necessary criteria but may also require limited changes to the original scenario space.

The Team are aiming to have a shortlist of preferred site identified by the end of August 2012. This set back will impact on the project time line, with an estimated new opening target of January/February 2014.

If there are any further developments, updates will be posted at www.radarni.co.uk

In July, DangerPoint welcomed colleagues from Safeside, the safety education centre based in Birmingham. The visit gave volunteers from the Centre the opportunity to tour DangerPoint with our team of Rangers, to gain a better understanding of how we operate. Following the tour, there was also an opportunity for volunteers from Safeside to ask any questions with staff from DangerPoint.

Feedback from the visit was very positive from the team at Safeside and Rob Hattersley, Education Co- ordinator said, “"Our volunteers really enjoyed visiting DangerPoint and seeing a different approach. Talking with DangerPoint Rangers helped them to understand a bit more about their own roles back at Safeside too. We would all like to thank Julie and the DangerPoint team for the warm welcome and the opportunity to see a different centre which was much appreciated!”

Lifeskills Safety Centre in Hotwells, Bristol has been awarded a grant of £5,000 from the Electrical Safety Council (ESC) to help organize Electrical Fire Safety events and activities during the year.

A project presentation was held in the Stormont Pavilion on Wed 13th June to provide key stakeholders with an update of the progress on RADAR - Risk and Danger Awareness Resource, Northern Ireland's first safety centre.

In September last year, Warning Zone re-opened its innovative “learning for life” centre on Frog Island in Leicester following a successful £1m capital fundraising appeal. Now, on 4th July, HRH, The Princess Royal will visit the centre to perform the official opening.

This school year alone has seen over 6000 ten and eleven year old pupils from across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland booked to learn crucial lessons about personal and social responsibility, peer pressure and the consequences of anti-social behaviour and offending. This includes almost 80% of City schools’ Year 6 children.

Before unveiling a commemorative plaque, The Princess Royal will meet six members of staff, eleven volunteers and have the opportunity to see thirty children from the visiting school working their way through the realistic interactive scenarios which are designed to prepare them for some of the difficult situations they may find themselves in as young adolescents.

SAFETY comes first in any emergency situation as youngsters visiting MK Safety Centre & Hazard Alley at Kiln Farm know only too well, reports the Milton Keynes Citizen.

Year 2 pupils from Stoke Goldington CE First School discovered the fun ways to prepare themselves for every type of emergency during their trip to the hands-on educational centre. Full of scenes from everyday life, MK Safety Centre & Hazard Alley highlight where dangers can sometimes crop up – such as on a building site, a garage forecourt, a railway line, a farm and a recreational lake, as well as a house. Guides at the centre took the youngsters around each scene, where hazards were explored and safe responses explained.

They had the chance to practice making 999 emergency calls too - an important skill for anyone in a time of crisis.

As part of a basic understanding of first aid, the youngsters were also introduced to the recovery position and seized the opportunity to put each other into the recovery position in the event of an accident. Pupils were joined by their friends from North Crawley CE School for the trip.

Acting Deputy Headteacher for both schools, Marie-Claire Parsons, said: “There was a huge amount for all the children to take in and learn from the morning at the Safety Centre. “I’d recommend it for a school visit.”

During February, DangerPoint North Wales celebrated welcoming their 40,000th visitor with Nercwys Primary School.

Since opening in October 2005, DangerPoint has strived to continually develop the Centre, updating scenario’s where possible and keeping the delivery relevant and up-todate. Over the years, the Centre has developed from the Core programme delivery (5-11yrs) and introduced a number of new prorgrammes including ‘The Point’ (11-18yrs), DangerPoint + (50yrs +) and Now I Can Crawl (parent tours). These programmes have been tailored to meet the specific needs and requirements of groups.

For further information about these programmes, or to book a visit, please contact one of the team on 01745 850414.

During recent months, DangerPoint has worked closely with North Wales Fire and Rescue Service’s Arson Reduction Team, to deliver messages on the risk of deliberate fire setting to over 1000 pupils across North Wales. Working in partnership with the North Wales Policing Teams, schools were nominated from areas which have been identified as experiencing issues with deliberate fire setting.

During a visit to the Centre, pupils received the full DangerPoint experience; exploring the interactive zones with one of our fully trained guides. Included in the visit, additional focus was given to the risks of deliberate fire setting and specifically the consequences for people and the local community.

Kevin Jones, Arson Reduction Team Manager said, “These additional tours have been extremely beneficial to the Arson Reduction Team, giving us the opportunity to take more time to focus on current issues, and to further educate young people on the consequences of arson. Small scale arson incidents such as grass and heather fires are a constant drain on our resources, with fire fighters often tied up for a considerable length of time trying to bring these fires under control. Not only are fire crews unavailable to attend other incidents but there is widespread damage to the environment and wildlife, and on occasions these fires can escalate quickly to put homes at risk and endanger the lives of people and livestock”.

The sessions were positively received by all visitors and we hope to work together again in the future to continue to deliver these important messages.