Builders Merchants Journal – BMJ Publishing to Builders Merchants and the UK merchanting industry for more than 95 years
Bathroom distributor PJH has helped the children of St Mary’s Church of England Primary School in Moston, Greater Manchester, to stay safe on the road and around large commercial vehicles through a special Road Safety Campaign.
Members of PJH’s Transport and Learning & Development (L&D) Teams delivered sessions designed to help approximately 120 children from Nursery to Year 2 understand about large articulated lorries, vehicle awareness and the potential dangers of crossing or walking near roads.
The main learning topics included vehicle awareness, the time and distance an HGV may need to stop, and the extensive blind spots around a vehicle where pedestrians and cyclists may not be visible to the driver. The children were also introduced to wider road safety messages, including how to choose a safe place to cross and the importance of remaining visible and alert when travelling near large vehicles.
PJH supplied all the pupils with some specially designed learning materials and activity packs, developed by PJH’s L&D Team, Dawn Kennedy and Lauren Fergus, drawing on road safety guidance produced by Transport for London. The packs included a Road Safety Certificate, a mock ‘PJH Pete Training School’ provisional license, a hi-vis vest for travelling to school, pencils and a drinks flask.
National transport manager at PJH, Shaun Berry, said: “It was an absolute delight to get involved with our local community in Manchester, and the pupils were really enthusaistic in learning more about road safety and discovering interesting facts about large articulated lorries – especially when sitting in the trucks themselves!
“The aim of the visit was to explain potential road dangers in a practical, engaging and memorable way, while giving the children some clear messages that they can use whenever they are walking or cycling near traffic. The pupils were brilliant throughout the sessions, and we were thrilled to support St Mary’s and help build road safety awareness from such an early age. I would also like to thank Dawn, Lauren and Jemma for the work they put into developing the materials and delivering such a successful visit.”
