Last week the Lord-Lieutenant of Shropshire, Anna Turner met with many of the volunteers from Shrewsbury & Oswestry Crucial Crew and to learn about they work they do once a year with year six pupils from the surrounding area.
In June every year, they hold an event over a two week period at Nesscliff Military Training Centre. This is attended by up to 1500 children from 40 to 60 primary schools in the Shrewsbury and Oswestry area of Shropshire. The children receive social awareness and safety training as a means of teaching them essential life skills. The event has been running for 27 years during which time over 31,100 children have attended. (In 2022 the event is limited to one week at Nesscliff due to increased demand upon Defence Estates this year. The site remains committed to supporting Crucial Crew in 2023
Crucial Crew provides today’s children with an opportunity to acquire essential life skills at an impressionable time in their development. At Crucial Crew, children learn of the dangers of drugs, internet abuse and cyber-bullying, stranger danger, the effects of hoax calls etc. For many organisations, it is a rare and most cost-effective opportunity to raise awareness of the many dangers of the sea, water, electricity, railways, poor hygiene, smoking, building sites, internet, dog awareness, alcohol abuse and farm situations. As a result of attending, they are more confident in themselves and in a better position to make a positive contribution to their communities as they mature into junior citizens. The children also take this information back to their families, who have not been privileged to receive this training.
To find out more about Crucial Crew Click here