Birmingham charity The Conies, recently awarded the King’s Award for Voluntary Service, is supporting World Oral Health Day with a video produced with an international partner to encourage children to take care of their teeth.
World Oral Health Day, observed on March 20th, raises awareness about the importance of maintaining healthy teeth and gums for long-term wellbeing. This year’s campaign focuses on lifelong oral health, and The Conies is backing it with a programme that encourages a habit of dental care that begins in childhood.
Created by Fay Goodman, Managing Director of Goodmedia, The Conies are a family of road traffic cones who, like the Green Cross Code Man and Tufty the Squirrel before them, deliver safety messages in a fun and engaging way.
They feature in Brushing Your Teeth, a short video produced by Goodmedia with support from Mumbai-based animation studio Graphiti and primary school children from Haslucks Green School and Damson Wood Infant School in Solihull.
The animation, which uses memorable visuals and a catchy song to encourage young children to clean their teeth, is freely available on You Tube and accessible from the following QR Code at the back of The Conies Brushing your Teeth Comic.
Latest figures from the Oral Health Foundation show that in England one out of every four children by the age of five has had tooth decay – in poorer areas it is one in three – and tooth decay is the most common reason five-to-nine-year-olds are admitted to hospital.
Fay Goodman, who is also an award-winning author, film producer, and safety advocate, said: “With tooth decay rates in young children reaching alarming levels, we are passionately keen to support World Oral Health Day.”
Fay added: “I am delighted with the contribution of Graphiti, whom I was introduced to as part of a trade delegation to India in 2019, in helping to turn an animation concept into a vibrant and engaging educational tool and by the involvement of children in the Midlands in creating a memorable brushing song.”
Munjal Shroff, Director & COO of Graphiti, said: “The Conies is such a sweet and delightful concept. I fell in love with the design and its universality when Fay first showed it to me. We have enjoyed collaborating with her and her brilliant team on the animation and the comics. I am convinced that The Conies is set for global recognition and success – and projects like these should be nurtured.”
Award-winning Midland dentist Dr Anoup Nandra has recognised the potential of the Conies’ Brushing Teeth project in transforming children’s attitudes toward oral health: “The concept encourages children to look after their teeth at an early age by making it a fun part of their daily routine. Mouth hygiene is essential for maintaining a healthy body.”
He added: “Forming good habits at an early age ensures that our children have the best chance of having healthy teeth in the future. The Conies have provided an innovative and entertaining animation idea among a range of great initiatives to help children keep themselves safe, healthy, and confident.”
These initiatives include Conies Safe Explorers, a new free series of workshops to help children develop their musical and artistic creativity as part of their safety education. Funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, the workshops enable 4 to 11-year-olds to enjoy art and music sessions while learning how to protect themselves in areas such as roads, rivers, railway lines and building sites as well as in their homes and gardens and while online.
Fay Goodman holds the workshops at a purpose-built training centre at Masamune Dojo in Yardley, Birmingham. She said: “Conies Safe Explorers is another initiative from The Conies which has been inspiring kids to learn about safety effectively in a fun way ever since we launched the charity in 2019 with our engaging, interactive Walking to School Safely course for use in schools.
Fay said: “The Conies’ mission is simply to make the world a safer place for children and young people, and I believe that meaningful change comes when business, creativity and community come together.
“That is why we want to reach out to any organisations to join us on our journey, whether through partnerships, sponsorship, providing skills and support, or advocacy. To join our Happy Conies team, get in touch at
film@goodmedia.co.uk
, call 07976 42643, or visit goodmedia.co.uk and/or the conies.org.”
