11 March 2003 00:00 LINCOLNSHIRE SCHOOLCHILDREN TAKE JOURNEY THROUGH ELECTRICAL SAFETY

Children from Lincolnshire are boarding East Midlands Electricity’s Power Discovery Bus to voyage through the world of electrical safety.

The bus has been specially designed to teach schoolchildren across the East Midlands about the dangers of electricity, while also supporting the national curriculum.

Jerry Carnell, EME’s safety adviser, said: “Across the UK around 120 children each year are injured in electricity related incidents. The main aim of the Power Discovery Bus is to help children understand the dangers of electricity and how to stay safe. We can only hope that, as a result of a trip to the bus, some child, somewhere in the East Midlands will be saved from suffering injury or even death by contact with electricity.

“That said, the bus is designed to offer children a lot of fun as it gets a very serious message across.”

Since its launch in 2001, the bus has been visited by 7,900 children from over 130 schools in the East Midlands.

The children can occupy themselves with exhibits such as a hand wind electricity generator, an arc generator, a plasma ball and an electroscope. Also on Board is ‘Hazard Valley’, a large landscape model featuring rural and urban scenes with many hazardous situations to spot.

On the more technical side, the youngsters get a chance to build their own electrical circuits, complete with buzzers, motors and lights and there are special videos highlighting the dangers of electricity.

An East Midlands Electricity employee is on board to support the children’s learning through a variety of activities and worksheets.



Ends

Notes to Editors
The Power Discovery Bus visited/will visit the following schools in the Lincolnshire area:
6th & 7th Feb St. Thomas C.E Primary School, Boston
19th & 20th Feb Boston West County Primary School, Boston
5th March Richmond Primary School, Skegness
10th & 12th March Pinchbeck Junior School, Spalding
20th March Gosberton County Primary School, Gosberton
21st March Seathorne Primary School, Skegness
2nd & 3rd April Westgate Junior School, Lincoln
8th April St. Mary's Roman Catholic School, Boston
To find out more about the bus, or to book a place, visit EME’s website – www.powerdiscoveryzone.com. It is an educational interactive site that compliments the work of the bus. It features games and work projects that teach the basics of how electricity is produced and how to be safe when using it.
EME also participates in local safety events across the East Midlands region aimed at school children such as ‘Crucial Crew’ and ‘Safety Zone’.

For further information and archive pictures contact:
Kathy Doyle on 024 7642 4292