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Crucial Crew, which has been running on an annual basis for more than 25 years, made a face-to-face return this year after two years of virtual sessions due to the COVID pandemic.

The event was held over a two week period at Frwdwyllt House in Taibach and comprised of 50 primary schools.

The Year 6 pupils rotated between 10 different workshops lasting 10 minutes each, all delivering key messages on topics such as how to tackle dangers, playing safely, what action to take in the event of a fire and how to stay safe on the roads. The workshops involved pupils having to complete a number of tasks and deal with certain situations that they may come across in everyday life.

The organisations that delivered workshops at this year’s event included: South Wales Police, Mid and West Wales Fire Service, National Grid, RNLI, Food Standards Agency, Network Rail, Calan DVS, Thrive Women’s Aid, Stori, Dogs Trust, NPT Road Safety. This year’s event also saw workshops delivered by Peer Educators from Ysgol Cwm Brombil who performed a drama relating to issues around antisocial behaviour. 

Councillor Alun Llewellyn, Deputy Leader of Neath Port Talbot Council and Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Public Protection, said: “Crucial Crew is an invaluable event for organisations to pass on key safety messages to young people through a fun way of learning. This includes ensuring they know who to contact if something goes wrong and knowing how to look after themselves, friends and family members.”

“We want to ensure children are kept safe, healthy and engaged with their learning, and Crucial Crew is a great example of how we are doing that.”

This year’s event was arranged by Neath Port Talbot Council’s Community Safety Team and was sponsored by Tata Steel.