Road safety competition sees Lilleshall pupils 'Bling Your Coat'
Youngsters mixed safety with creativity in a competition to make the brightest and most colourful coats.
As the nights draw in, Lilleshall Primary School's Bling Your Coat competition saw pupils put their efforts into making sure they could be seen.
The mayor of Telford & Wrekin, councillor Raj Mehta, attended the school to decide the winners and grant the awards.
Staff say some pupils from the school have to walk on roads around the area without pavements, and that the focus on road safety is crucial.
Christobel Cousins, headteacher of Lilleshall Primary School, said: "It all came about because of the darker evenings and colder nights, mixed with our constant focus on road safety.
"Each year we have a big focus on being bright and seen to raise the profile of how important it is and this year we've gone with the Bling Your Coat competition.
"It's incredible to have the mayor here judging the competition for us. We had a visit from him a while ago and he said he would love to come and take part and grant the prizes.
"We've had a big focus assembly on how important it is to be bright and seen with the colours they wear – road users will know how difficult it is to see someone in black or brown in the dark.
"We're handing out fluorescent tags that can go on the end of zips or bags, and it's as simple as wearing a couple of them. This helps them drive it home and bring it back to their families at home.
"One of the best things is that it is run by our Junior Road Safety Officers (JRSO)."
The JRSOs consist of two year five students, and two year six students who help run road safety campaigns at the school.
Emma Wright, teaching assistant at Lilleshall Primary School and JRSO coordinator, said: "It's great that the children get this opportunity of responsibility in helping their peers with an important issue.
"It's part of a bigger campaign, the ModeShift Awards, which rewards schools for projects and activities that encourage better ways of travelling.
"We stay in close touch with parents, students and community to make them aware of congestion outside of school, specific travel times and other ways to keep everyone safe."
