Rail Safe Friendly
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland unveils winning logo at the launch of Rail Safe Friendly
I am delighted to share with you the 'Rail Safe Friendly' website which is now live.
Here is the link for your reference: https://railsafefriendly.com/
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris MP today attended the launch of Rail Safe Friendly at a Northampton high school and unveiled a winning logo, designed by Year 9 students.
Hosted at Guilsborough Academy, Northampton, the Rail Safe Friendly launch event builds on the success of a five-year digital campaign aimed to educate young people across the UK on rail safety.
The initiative provides schools and the rail industry with an opportunity to work together using content from Network Rail’s Switched On Rail Safety website.
All schools and industry partners that are part of the initiative will now display the Rail Safe Friendly logo on their website to showcase their involvement and support.
Year 9 Design and Technology students from Guilsborough Academy created the winning logo concept, which has now been professionally produced and was revealed at the event by Chris Heaton-Harris MP.
Since 2019, the You Vs Train campaign has reached over 17 million young people in 10,500 schools across the UK in collaboration with the Trespass Improvement Team at Network Rail and digital education partner Learn Live.
The campaign delivers rail safety messages through live or on demand content digitally into classrooms and assembly halls via the Learn Live platform. The system also has a moderated, GDPR compliant LIVE CHAT facility to promote interaction and involvement from the schools/colleges taking part in the initiative.
Chris Heaton-Harris MP said; “I am delighted to be here today to attend the launch of a national rail safety initiative at Guilsborough Academy. It was really lovely to meet the students and the teachers from the Academy, representatives from Learn Live, and the invited guests. Well done to the Year 9 students on their amazing logo designs. When I was Rail Minister, I became very aware of the dangers on the railways and I wish to thank all the members of the rail industry and everyone involved in important initiatives such as this, for their work in raising awareness, educating and helping to keep people safe.”
Louise McNally, trespass prevention lead at Network Rail said: “It is important that every child knows the dangers that are present around the railway so that they can keep themselves safe when they are in a rail setting. We welcome any initiative that helps us to spread our rail safety message to children, their parents and carers, and the wider general public.”
Supt Alison Evans said; “The rail industry and British Transport Police make strenuous efforts to educate young people about the dangers of the rail network – whether it be the dangers of the tracks, the risk of electricity from overhead lines or the speed of the trains themselves. But still, not all children and young people are aware of these risks which is why we welcome Learn Live’s initiative to develop an accreditation scheme for schools.
With schools demonstrating their commitment to rail safety to achieve accreditation we know that these lifesaving messages are reaching young people in a way that is engaging, accessible and understandable.
Together with Learn Live and our industry partners we can build a sustainable safety legacy to protect our young people."
Gemma Lavery, Professional Head of Public Safety at RSSB said; "RSSB supports Network Rail, British Transport Police and the wider rail industry in creating safer and more secure railway environments. This new initiative is an innovative way to help spread awareness about the dangers of trespassing on the railway network and continues to build on the great work undertaken so far. It’s a real privilege for RSSB to be involved and we believe that together, through collective action and education, we can ensure that our railways remain safe environments for all."
Simon Frazer, Principal at Guilsborough Academy said; “The tragic death of Harrison in 2017, when he was in Year 7 at Guilsborough, brought home to our community the importance of teaching our children about safety on the Railways. Schools play a vital role in keeping our children safe. We will never forget Harrison and including rail safety in our curriculum will help to save lives in the future.”
Stuart Heaton, founder of Learn Live said; “We’re delighted to continue our work with Network Rail and increase rail safety awareness amongst young people across the UK, ultimately saving lives through this compelling and engaging digital delivery having now reached over 17 million young people.”
