Hundreds of schoolchildren will be warned about the potential dangers of electricity through interactive storytelling events.
A “ghost box” storytelling device which tells why you must not go into electricity substations or ignore “danger” signs will be used at the Epsom and Ewell and Mole Valley Junior Citizen 2023 event.
The event is taking place at Epsom Downs Racecourse from 20 February to 10 March and will be attended by nearly 2,000 Year 6 pupils, aged 10-11, from schools in the area.
The ghost box will be run by the safety team from UK Power Networks and stories include a boy ignoring warning signs and retrieving his ball from a substation, plus the potential dangers of flying kites and carrying fishing rods near high voltage power lines.
Clorise Duporte, UK Power Networks Public Safety and Education Adviser, said: “Over three weeks we’ll be seeing hundreds of children to get the message across that you should stay away from electrical equipment such as substations and overhead lines.
“While we use fun interactive equipment, everyone goes away understanding how dangerous electricity can be if it’s not treated with respect, and it enables them to make the decisions that keep them safe.”
Event Organiser Dan Boneham, Director at Child Safety Media, said: “Junior Citizen is about getting young people involved in issues that directly affect them, in a practical and exciting way.
“The sessions are designed to appeal to all children and importantly, to engage those who find formal education more difficult. Rather than learning a set of rigid rules, children are instead challenged to think for themselves and develop skills, which they can apply in different life scenarios.”
The safety advisers will be joined by colleagues from UK Power Networks, which owns and operates the electricity networks in the South East, London and the East of England, who have volunteered to help spread the safety message and answer questions.
They will then attend careers and Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) events for young people to encourage new talent, such as one at Harlow Library on March 10.
The following month the safety team will take the interactive safety storytelling set to the School Farm and Country Fair on 20 April at Trinity Park, near Ipswich, to teach hundreds of Suffolk school pupils about potential dangers.
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