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Young rappers'
safety message
PUPILS from St Mary's CE
School in West Derby have got the safety message rapped up. They
have come top in a competition to compose a rap highlighting hazards
in the home. The contest was run by the Healthy Homes Programme,
which is run jointly by Liverpool City Council and Liverpool Primary
Care Trust, and aims to prevent ill health and injury resulting from
poor quality housing conditions.
As part of Child Accident Prevention Week, a play; performed by
local community arts company Activate Arts- about safety and hazards
in the home was taken into 55 primary schools. They held 95
workshops meaning nearly 2,500 children were involved in the
project.
Following this all the schools were invited produce a rap using the
messages they had learned.
Shortlisted raps from 5 schools were available to be downloaded from
Radio City's website with listeners voting for their favourite. More
than 91,000 votes were cast with St Mary's topping the poll taking
nearly 30% of the vote, St Sebastian's were a very close second and
the other shortlisted schools were Knotty Ash, Bishop Martin CE and Sudley.
The winning team were presented with a gold disc of their rap by the
Lord Mayor, Councillor Sharon Sullivan. They were also taken on a
tour of the Radio City Tower and given free tickets for the
Liverpool Wheel.
Councillor Sullivan said:- "I was delighted to present this
award. I am told that last year more than 1500 children and young
people from Liverpool were admitted to hospital due to accidents so
it is vital we get safety messages across. Using drama and music is
a great way of capturing the children's imagination and they are
able to spread the message in a very imaginative way. And it just
shows what wonderfully creative young people we have in the city."
The winning rap lyrics are:-
When walking on the bathroom tiles
Don't slip and lose your happy smiles
When listening to your favourite bands
Be careful not to hurt your hand
If your hands are soaking wet
You will get a shock – I bet!
When running hot water in the tub
Don't burn yourself and cry blub blub
If there's something electric
Don't be hectic
A cut or a burn could get septic
If you burn a towel
You will howl like and owl
So be careful or things could get hurtful
Boosh!
Listen mister, if you've got a sister
Keep them away from fire
Cos their skin might blister
It's a danger to you and everyone too
Take Care, be aware
Cos you might burn their hair!
Bogus Callers
Strike Again
MARGARET Jepson from Home Watch
has reported to us that:- "In the past month in Formby a man
has called at a house saying he is a TV technician and needs to
check the television. After he left the property, the occupier
realised items were missing. Also in Southport a man called at
houses telling the occupant that he was a near neighbour and was
short of money to pay his electric and enquired if the householder
could give him some money which he would pay back. While the door of
the house was left unattended he entered the property and again
items were taken. Please remind your readers that, should any
stranger comes to the door it is advisable to put the chain on the
door to speak to them. These people are very convincing and
plausable, they tell a good story and appeal to our kind nature.
Don't be taken in, they are after more than your donation. The
advice is never leave your door open with a stranger standing on
your doorstep." |
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Don't be
shocked!
FREE safety checks are
being offered to gardeners and DIY enthusiasts to help cut down on
accidents. Liverpool Trading Standards has teamed up with Taskers,
the home store, to raise awareness of the safe use of outdoor
electrical appliances and encourage people to check for hazards
before they start working. They will also be promoting the use of
RCDs (residual current devices) to reduce the risk of accidents.
Customers can bring electrical appliances to a stall outside the
Taskers store in Long Lane, Walton, on Friday, 13 July 2012 and
Saturday, 14 July 2012, from 10am to 3pm; for free testing. They
will also be given guidance and advice. The first 50 people to bring
along an item each day will receive a free RCD (worth £10) and a
packet of seeds and a grow bag donated by Taskers.
Councillor Ann O'Byrne, cabinet member for community safety, said:-
"Given how wet this summer has been there has been very few
opportunities for gardening and outdoor work so, if we get any good
weather, people will be tempted to get out to do the jobs which have
been piling up. And the risk is that they will be using equipment
which has been out of use for some time so it is very important that
it is checked to make sure it is safe. Even if equipment has been
used regularly you should still have it tested so there is no risk.
We are also stressing that circuit breakers; RCD's; should be always
be used to prevent electric shocks."
A recent survey for the Electrical Safety Council, carried out by
Ipsos MORI, found only 36% of people questioned could say what an
RCD did, although 59% worked outside weekly.
Penny Walshe, the Electrical Safety Council's Corporate
Communications Manager; said:- "Our research has shown that
people who regularly use electrical equipment when working in the
garden have a greater understanding of the need for RCD protection
than those who don't. However, of the people surveyed who have RCD
protection, a quarter do not always use it, with 7% saying they
never do. This is an alarming level of complacency. Working in
potentially wet conditions and contact with the ground means that
there is a greater risk of electric shock when working outdoors, so
RCD protection is vital in reducing the risk of a fatal electric
shock."
MEP calls for end to "scam"
that deceives car buyers
A North West MEP is
fighting a carmaker "scam" that costs drivers hundreds
of pounds in unnecessary fuel costs every year. The European
Commission has proposed a target for 2020 that could save an average
driver £400 a year based on today's fuel prices. Fuel efficiency
gains are matched by reductions in CO2 emissions, and the car
industry is expected to meet the current 2015 target almost three
years ahead of schedule. 5 years ago, Liberal Democrat MEP Chris
Davies won the support of the European Parliament to call for a 95g
CO2/km target by 2020. He welcomes the progress made since then; but
claims that the method of testing new cars bears little relation to
their use in practice. To gain good results vehicle manufacturers
are said routinely to inflate tyres far above recommended levels and
remove wing mirrors to reduce air resistance. Computers in the car
are specially programmed to pass the test. Chris Davies described
the test procedures as a "scam" that cheated car
buyers, providing them with information about new vehicles that
exaggerated their performance. He said:- "EU measures have led
to a 15% improvement in the fuel efficiency of new cars over the
past five years, and a similar reduction in CO2 emissions. That's
good but we can do better. The procedures for testing new vehicles
must reflect the reality. What car buyers read in the advertising
should be what they get in practice. Making cars more fuel efficient
not only helps bring carbon emissions down but also puts money back
in people's pockets through lower fuel bills. It's a win-win gain
for drivers and for the environment. By closing the loopholes and
curbing the cheats we can deliver a 10% improvement in fuel
efficiency above the target being proposed by the Commission."
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