Dounreay Venue For Safe Highlander Event

5th September 2006

Dounreay is once again the location for the child safety awareness event Safe Highlanders.

Around 335 primary seven pupils from Caithness and North Sutherland will attend the event, sponsored by Caithness Community Safety Action Team and UKAEA, at Dounreay Visitor Centre over the next two days.

Safe Highlanders is the amalgamation of major agencies and services in the Highlands and Islands who have messages for the youth of today regarding safety, preventing crimes and saving lives for their own benefit and the benefit of their community.

Various agencies give their time to the event - Northern Constabulary promote the importance of identification and road safety, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency raise awareness on water safety and the local drug and alcohol forum promote drug awareness. Also supporting the event are Highlands and Islands Fire & Rescue Service on fire safety, the Health and Safety Executive on farm safety, British Transport Police on rail safety and Red Cross on first aid.

Tony Wratten, UKAEA Dounreay's Assurance Manager who officially opened the event, said: "UKAEA is pleased to host this event again for the fourth successive year. Safety is main priority here at Dounreay, however safety is not only required during our working lives but in every day activities.

This initiative conveys safety messages to the children which will hopefully keep them safe throughout their lives."

Helen Allan, The Highland Council's Community Learning & Leisure Officer, said: "The Community Learning and Leisure Service is pleased to support this very worthwhile initiative that teaches children very valuable lessons about all aspects of safety in their daily lives in an exciting and innovative way"