20 March 2006 00:00 Central Networks’ schools safety truck powers into Derbyshire and Worcester

Electricity distribution company Central Networks is taking its electricity safety vehicle into Derbyshire and Worcester schools to teach children about the dangers that electricity can pose.

Children from local schools will take part in a variety of activities including building electrical circuits with buzzers, motors and lights, undertaking electrical experiments including using a mini generator, playing laptop games to identify hazards and watching a safety video in the specially-designed truck.

With an emphasis on learning through fun, the truck also features a “Hazard Valley” – a model landscape with both urban and rural scenes containing potential hazards for the children to spot.

Anita Davis, Network and Public Safety Adviser with Central Networks said: “Safety is a big priority for us and the Power Discovery Truck is a great way for us to communicate safety messages to school children across Derbyshire and Worcester.

“The children really enjoy themselves while also learning some important lessons about the potential hazards electricity can pose in an interactive and interesting way.”

The brightly painted truck is fitted out with a range of activities designed to make it fun and exciting for visiting youngsters to learn key safety lessons.

The Power Discovery Truck is a free educational resource for primary schools across the Midlands. Anyone who would like to request a visit from the truck to their school, safety event or show should visit www.powerdiscoveryzone.com and follow the directions in the Teacher’s Zone.

Ends

Notes to editors:
• The following schools will be visited by the Power Discovery Truck:
Brockhampton Primary School, Worcester (22 March)
St. Barnabas CE Primary School, Worcester (23 March)
Ash Croft Primary School, Sinfin, Derby (24 March)
Dunston Primary School, Chesterfield (27 March)
Blackwell Primary School, Alfreton (30 March)
Hallam Fields Junior School, Ilkeston (31 March)
Osmaston CE Primary School, Ashbourne (3 April)
Cutthorpe Primary School, Chesterfield (5 April)
Wigley Primary School, Chesterfield (5 April)
• Central Networks is the new name for Midlands Electricity and East Midlands Electricity. The company brings power to 4.9 million customers across the East and West Midlands through 133,000km of underground and overhead cables – enough to go round the Earth almost four times – and via almost 97,000 substations;
• Central Networks covers an area from the Peak District in the north to parts of Bristol in the south, and from the Welsh Borders to the Lincolnshire Coast.

For further information contact:
Jane Branscombe on 024 7642 5528
A selection of Central Networks pictures, including images of the Power Discovery Truck, is available free of charge to the media by registering at www.newscast.co.uk and looking under Distribution