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The Conies Top Five Tips for Getting to School Safely

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The Conies want all children to be safe on their journey to and from school, here’s our top five tips to help.

1. Be seen

School uniforms and winter coats are often dark coloured, making children difficult to see in the lower light conditions in early morning or in the late afternoon. Fluorescent arm bands or jackets help drivers spot youngsters. Reflective bands or stickers on bags help reflect car headlights when its dark.

2. Stop look listen

The oldest advice is the best. Look right, look left and then right again. Keep looking and listening as you cross the road. Use your eyes and ears and never hurry into a road

3. Find a safe place to cross

Avoid crossing near parked cars if possible. Never cross the road from behind a bus. Know the difference between zebra and pelican crossings and how to cross at each type.

4. Be aware of stranger danger

Police recorded 569 offences of child abduction in 2014. Make sure your child knows never to talk to or take presents from strangers or go with anyone they don’t know or trust.

5. Be safe in the car

Don’t distract the driver and always wear a seatbelt. The Dept of Transport recommends children over 12 years or 135cm in height may use an adult seat belt, but also continue using booster seats until they are 150cm tall. Make sure you know which side to get out of and avoid oncoming traffic.

The Conies reaction to the latest road accident figures

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Today the Department of Transport have published road accident figures which reveal a disturbing upward trend. They show that 69 children, an increase of 15 from the previous year, were killed on our roads in 2016.  This is the highest figure since 2009. The Government’s reaction states there is no clear trend. Nevertheless this contradicts clear evidence showing annual figure for child deaths and serious injuries on the roads has been rising in recent years following a 20 year on year decline since 1995. Any child fatality is one too many, particularly for the family and friends they leave behind.

Fay Goodman, creator of the Conies and director of DriveSafe & StaySafe said:

“We urgently need to do more to keep our children safe, particularly on their journeys to and from school. We know it’s an especially dangerous time of day.  We regularly see and hear horror stories about the behaviour of drivers and dangerous parking around school gates.

The Conies was born out of a desire to help keep children safe. We want to educate them, in a fun way, with characters they can identify with, to improve road safety.  Following on from our successful pilot to 3,400 primary school children in high risk areas of Birmingham, we are rolling out our road safety training to a further three areas of the city during January 2018. As well as a variety of resources, this consists of workbooks embracing how to get to school safely on foot or by bus, car and bike – as well as managing distractions and stranger danger. Supported by the Birmingham Community Safety Partnership we aim to bring our ‘Walking to School Safely’ Journal to more areas of the Midlands.”

Source of figures: Department for Transport

Just one example of dangerous driving around schools

You can help us to keep children safe by supporting the Conies.

For more information or to talk to Fay Goodman call 07976 426463 email fay@goodmedia.co.uk 

NEW ROAD SAFETY BOOK TO FEATURE AT EDUCATION SHOW

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Issued: 1 March 2017
Birmingham-based DriveSafe & StaySafe is introducing its new early learning book about road safety to education professionals at this year’s Education Show.

‘The Conies: Walking to School Safely Journal’ will be exhibited by DriveSafe & StaySafe – a ‘not for profit’ organisation – on the Goodmedia Ltd stand J93 at the leading education event being held at the NEC in Birmingham from March 16-18.
The 40-page illustrated book, produced with the support of the Birmingham Community Safety Partnership, is aimed at Key Stage 1 pupils (4-6 years). It features a family of traffic-cone cartoon characters whose creators hope will become national heroes of road safety for children.

DriveSafe & StaySafe will also be exhibiting a support guide to the journal for teachers along with Conies-branded pencils and Hi-Vis snap bands at the show, which is expected to attract more than 10,000 visitors from across the UK, from school teachers and administrators to education suppliers.

The first 2,700 copies of the book, which was launched in January by West Midlands Assistant Police and Crime Commissioner Ashley Bertie, are currently being delivered, along with teacher’s support books, to 37 primary schools in Yardley, Hall Green and Hodge Hill, all locations identified in the 2016 Birmingham Road Safety Strategy as child accident ‘hot spots’.

Every Key Stage 1 pupil at these schools will receive a copy of the book, which has been designed to meet the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and Personal Social Health Education (PSHE) learning and development requirements. The children will also receive a Hi-Vis snap band and Conies pencil, while their teachers receive a teacher’s support Journal.
Jess Phillips, Labour MP for Yardley, commented: “This is a brilliant initiative to help children keep safe and I am delighted this Journal is being delivered to local schools in my constituency area and was delighted to be part of making this happen.”
Fay Goodman, creator of the Conies and director of DriveSafe & StaySafe, said: “I hope The Conies will become our new national heroes of road safety for children, just as the Green Cross Code man and Tufty the Squirrel were in their day.
“The Conies: Walking to School Safely Journal has been designed to engage children in road safety through reading, listening and acting out scenarios from the book, and there is a review at the end to test how much the child has learnt and absorbed. Teachers will be able to keep this page as ‘evidence’ of the child’s learning and reward it with a certificate or star to offer continued encouragement.”

BIRMINGHAM SCHOOLS PILOT EARLY LEARNING ROAD SAFETY BOOK

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Issued: 20 February 2017

A total of 37 primary schools across Birmingham are piloting a new early learning book aimed at reducing child traffic casualties.

‘The Conies: Walking to School Safely Journal’ has been produced by Birmingham road safety ‘not for profit’ organisation DriveSafe & StaySafe with the support of the Birmingham Community Safety Partnership.

The 40-page illustrated book features a family of traffic-cone cartoon characters whose creators hope will become national heroes of road safety for children.

The book was officially launched by West Midlands Assistant Police and Crime Commissioner Ashley Bertie at the West Midlands Fire Service Headquarters in front of local councillors, teachers and members of the police and fire services.

The first 2,700 copies of the book are currently being delivered, along with teachers’ guides, to 37 primary schools in Yardley, Hall Green and Hodge Hill, all locations identified in the 2016 Birmingham Road Safety Strategy as child accident ‘hot spots’.

Every Key Stage 1 pupil (4-6 years) at these schools will receive a copy of the book, which has been designed to meet the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and Personal Social Health Education (PSHE) learning and development requirements. They will also receive a Hi-Vis snap band and Conies pencil, while their teachers receive a teacher’s support Journal.

The book has been endorsed by Jess Phillips, Labour MP for Yardley, who said: “This is a brilliant initiative to help children keep safe and I am delighted this Journal is being delivered to local schools in my constituency area and was delighted to be part of making this happen.”

DriveSafe & StaySafe will be exhibiting the new books and accessories on the Goodmedia Ltd stand J93 at this year’s Education Show at the NEC in Birmingham from March 16 to 18. The show is the UK’s leading education event, providing a platform to share innovative ideas, resources and insight for all education professionals.

Ashley Bertie said: “This book will provide an innovative, fun and lively way for children to learn of the dangers on our roads and what they can do to look after themselves and their families.

“The West Midlands is one of the youngest regions and Birmingham is the youngest city in Europe, and our young people are our future. I would like to thank Fay Goodman and her team at DriveSafe & StaySafe for a project that will not only have significance for our region but also nationally and hopefully internationally as well.

Fay Goodman, creator of the Conies and director of DriveSafe & StaySafe, commented: “I hope The Conies will become our new national heroes of road safety for children, just as the Green Cross Code man and Tufty the Squirrel were in their day.

“The Conies: Walking to School Safely Journal has been designed to engage children in road safety through reading, listening and acting out scenarios from the book, and there is a review at the end to test how much the child has learnt and absorbed. Teachers will be able to keep this page as ‘evidence’ of the child’s learning and reward it with a certificate or star to offer continued encouragement.”

BIRMINGHAM BOOK LAUNCH TO INTRODUCE NEW HEROES OF ROAD SAFETY FOR CHILDREN

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BOOK LAUNCH HERALDS NEW HEROES OF ROAD SAFETY

Nationwide efforts to reduce child traffic casualty rates have been boosted in Birmingham with the launch of a new road safety early learning book.

‘The Conies: Walking to School Safely Journal’ features an inspirational family of traffic-cone-shaped cartoon characters – The Conies – whose creators hope will become national or even international heroes of road safety for children.

The 40-page, fully-illustrated book has been produced and published for primary school children by Birmingham road safety ‘not for profit’ organisation DriveSafe & StaySafe with the support of the Birmingham Community Safety Partnership.

West Midlands Assistant Police and Crime Commissioner Ashley Bertie officially launched the book at the West Midlands Fire Service Headquarters in Aston in front of local councillors, teachers and members of the police and fire services.

The first 2,700 copies of The Conies: Walking to School Safely Journal will be delivered, along with teachers’ guides, free to 37 primary schools in Yardley, Hall Green and Hodge Hill. The schools were chosen to pilot the project after the 2016 Birmingham Road Safety Strategy identified the wards as child accident ‘hot spots’.

Every Key Stage 1 pupil (4-6 years) will receive their own journal, which has been designed to meet the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and Personal Social Health Education (PSHE) learning and development requirements

Ashley Bertie said: “Road safety is a key priority for myself and the Police Commissioner and this book will provide an innovative, fun and lively way for children to learn of the dangers on our roads and what they can do to look after themselves and their families.

“The West Midlands is one of the youngest regions and Birmingham is the youngest city in Europe, and our young people are our future. I would like to thank Fay Goodman and her team at DriveSafe & StaySafe for a project that will not only have significance for our region but also nationally and hopefully internationally as well.

“It is an honour to be able to launch this book in Birmingham and my thanks also go to the City Council and all our safety partners for their support for a project that has the gravitas and the ability to shape young people’s lives for many years to come.”

Fay Goodman, creator of the Conies and founder of DriveSafe & StaySafe, commented: “The Green Cross Code man and Tufty the Squirrel made such a difference to helping children’s safety in their era – and I sincerely believe our Conies will have the same impact as the new national heroes of road safety.

“Children will be able to engage by reading, listening and acting out scenarios from the Journal, and there is a review at the end to test how much the child has learnt and absorbed. Teachers will be able to keep this page as ‘evidence’ of the child’s learning and reward it with a certificate or star to offer continued encouragement.

“Now, whenever they see a road cone, we hope children will think about the Conies and the positive messages to ‘Stop, Look and Listen’ before you cross the road and ‘Keep Looking and Listening’ as you cross.”

Fay added: “I am delighted that the Birmingham Community Safety Partnership has come on board and am very grateful for their support in making this happen. Too many children are needlessly injured or killed on our roads. We have to do something which will impact in a dynamic way – and what better way than to turn road signs that are all around us into animated characters!”

DriveSafe turns to crowdfunding for The Conies – Solihull TownTalk

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A local charity that is dedicated to improving the safety of children on the roads is seeking £5,000 in crowdfunding to help produce an animated video series for primary schools.

DriveSafe and StaySafe introduced ‘The Conies’ as a family of traffic cones that deliver road and personal safety messages through their comic adventures at a road safety song contest in Solihull last autumn.

Interactive games, teaching packs and merchandise featuring the characters are already being developed with the help of pupils and staff from a number of schools across the West Midlands, with Solihull Junior School and St Alphege School in Solihull having been especially proactive.

The charity is now seeking £5,000 of investment from the public to hopefully turn The Conies into a household-name video series which, it says, will enable children to raise their awareness of the dangers of ever-increasing traffic, help recognise road signs, and learn respect for all road users.

The AXA motor insurance company has agreed to match-fund the total crowdfunding figure to enable DriveSafe to work with a production budget of at least £10,000, sufficient for a first episode of The Conies – but the charity is hopeful even more can be raised so that more stories can be produced.

Fay Goodman, Founder and Managing Director of DriveSafe & StaySafe, said: “The funding will enable us to improve the safety of children by engaging them in a fun-filled cone-shaped world where adorable characters get involved in adventures and road signs come to life.”

She explained: “Children no longer have icons from the past such as Tufty the Squirrel and the Green Cross Code Man to help educate them in road safety. The Conies are ready and waiting to fill that gap.”

Fay added: “We are inviting pupils, teachers and parents from schools wherever based to join DriveSafe and help our exciting initiative grow quickly.”

DriveSafe launched The Conies as a result of Fay’s concern at figures released in 2014 showing that child road accidents were on the up – reversing years of decline – with almost 70% occurring within 500 metres of schools.

She said crowdfunding was chosen over more traditional funding to enable DriveSafe and StaySafe to widen its support, rather than rely on a single investor, and to boost awareness of the charity and its work.

Birmingham road safety charity turns to crowdfunding – Birmingham Press

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A Birmingham-based charity that is dedicated to improving the safety of children on the roads is seeking £5,000 in crowdfunding to help produce an animated video series for primary schools.

DriveSafe & StaySafe introduced The Conies as a family of traffic cones that deliver road and personal safety messages through their comic adventures at a road safety song contest in Solihull last autumn.

Interactive games, teaching packs and merchandise featuring the characters are already being developed with the help of pupils and staff from a number of schools across the West Midlands, with Solihull Junior School and St Alphege School in Solihull having been especially proactive.

The Yardley-based charity is now seeking £5,000 of investment from the public to hopefully turn The Conies into a household-name video series which, it says, will enable children to raise their awareness of the dangers of ever-increasing traffic, help recognise road signs, and learn respect for all road users.

The AXA motor insurance company has agreed to match-fund the total crowdfunding figure to enable DriveSafe to work with a production budget of at least £10,000, sufficient for a first episode of The Conies – but the charity is hopeful even more can be raised so that more stories can be produced.

Fay Goodman, Founder and Managing Director of DriveSafe & StaySafe, said: “The funding will enable us to improve the safety of children by engaging them in a fun-filled cone-shaped world where adorable characters get involved in adventures and road signs come to life.”

She explained: “Children no longer have icons from the past such as Tufty the Squirrel and the Green Cross Code Man to help educate them in road safety. The Conies are ready and waiting to fill that gap.”

Fay added: “We are inviting pupils, teachers and parents from schools wherever based to join DriveSafe and help our exciting initiative grow quickly.”

DriveSafe launched The Conies as a result of Fay’s concern at figures released in 2014 showing that child road accidents were on the up – reversing years of decline – with almost 70% occurring within 500 metres of schools.

She said crowdfunding was chosen over more traditional funding to enable DriveSafe and StaySafe to widen its support, rather than rely on a single investor, and to boost awareness of the charity and its work.

To pledge support for The Conies project, click on www.crowdfunder.co.uk/the-conies. The Conies website is atwww.theconiesworld.co.uk and DriveSafe & StaySafe is at www.drivesafe-staysafe.co.uk.

Charity seeks crowdfunding investment for road safety animation – Road Safety GB

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The Birmingham-based charity DriveSafe & StaySafe is seeking £5,000 in crowdfunding to help produce an animated video series for use in primary schools.

The charity is seeking support for ‘The Conies’, a family of traffic cones that deliver road and personal safety messages through their comic adventures.

The Conies were first unveiled last year and interactive games, teaching packs and merchandise featuring the characters are already being developed with the help of pupils and staff from schools across the West Midlands.

Now, in a bid to turn The Conies into a ‘household-name’, DriveSafe is seeking £5,000 of investment from the public.

The insurance company AXA has agreed to match-fund the amount raised through crowdfunding, to give DriveSafe a production budget of at least £10,000, sufficient for a first episode of The Conies – but the charity is hoping to raise more to enable more stories to be produced.

Fay Goodman, founder and managing director of DriveSafe & StaySafe, said: “The funding will enable us to improve the safety of children by engaging them in a fun-filled cone-shaped world where adorable characters get involved in adventures and road signs come to life.

“Children no longer have icons from the past such as Tufty the Squirrel and the Green Cross Code Man to help educate them in road safety. The Conies are ready and waiting to fill that gap.

“We are inviting pupils, teachers and parents from schools wherever based to join DriveSafe and help our exciting initiative grow quickly.”

To pledge support for The Conies project, head to their crowdfunding page.

– See more at: http://www.roadsafetygb.org.uk/news/5061.html#sthash.XkTRTdl7.dpuf