OVER 1,600 P7 pupils from 40 schools across Ards and North Down, have taken part in a two-week BeeSafe educational programme in Newtownards.
Funded by Ards and North Down Council as well as the borough’s Police and Community Safety Partnership (PCSP), BeeSafe is aimed at P7 children who are preparing for their transition out of primary school.
The programme was held at the Ards Arena Youth Resource Centre in South Street.
The programme is designed to promote community and personal safety while also reducing anti-social behaviour within the borough. Topics covered included bus safety, fire safety, home safety, internet safety, anti-social behaviour and mental health.
The deputy Mayor of Ards and North Down, David Chambers, visited the Ards Arena at the conclusion of the programme.
He said: “This is an exciting time for all year seven students as they near the end of primary school and get ready to move to the next stage in their academic paths.
“It was great to see so many of them benefitting from this year’s programme which has helped to equip and prepare them for the transition. I hope they all enjoyed the programme and wish them well in their future studies.”
The chair of Ards and North Down PCSP, councillor Vicky Moore, said: BeeSafe is designed to promote community and personal safety as well as reduce anti-social behaviour, crime and fear of crime.
“It has been viewed by many that P7 is a key age to engage with children, when they are open to new ideas and are able to fully understand key safety messages and more likely to apply the learning they receive, especially when they move in to the next stage of their education at secondary level when they may face these dangers for the first time.”
