Builder’s £1,000 donation backs safety campaign for pupils

A charity which provides valuable life skills and safety advice to youngsters has won a £1,000 donation from leading housebuilder Persimmon Homes West Midlands.

Shrewsbury and Oswestry Crucial Crew made a successful bid to the builder’s Community Champions Fund and says the cash will help fund an annual two-week event targeting pupils who are about to move on to secondary school.

Alan Howls, who applied on the charity’s behalf, said: “Crucial Crew provides safety education training to 1,500 11-year-olds each year from up to 50 schools in the Shrewsbury and Oswestry areas.

“Our two-week event is timed to provide Year 6 primary school children with essential life skills, experience and knowledge which they can then take forward, at a very vulnerable age, to secondary education. The children would not otherwise gain such information in a structured and safe environment. Crucial Crew is 22 years old and this year will welcome the 28,000th child.

“Crucial Crew has the financial support of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s office, local Lions and Rotary clubs, the carnival committee and other charities, but it costs £17,000 to stage the event and Persimmon Homes’ donation is a great help.”

Stephen Cleveley, sales director of Persimmon Homes West Midlands, said: “We are pleased to be able to support such good work.

“Crucial Crew provides a fantastic service to children who are on the verge of taking big step in their lives. The transition to secondary school and all the life changes they are about to face can be daunting for some, so preparing them, and helping them make sense of some scenarios and encouraging them to make the right decisions is important.

“We are glad to have been able to help this cause that is adding strength to our community.”

He added: “Persimmon Homes West Midlands has had a fantastic response to its Community Champions scheme and it is always a difficult choice from so many worthy causes.

“If people were unsuccessful last month, we urge them to visit the Persimmon Homes website and to try again and hopefully they will become our next Community Champion.”