Hundreds of children to gather for workshops on bullying, vaping and finances at Bridgnorth Crucial Crew safety event
Hundreds of young people are set to gather at a Shropshire rugby club this summer as an event highlighting everyday dangers returns.
Bridgnorth and South Shropshire Crucial Crew is returning to Bridgnorth Rugby Club this summer with the 2026 programme for local primary school children.
More than 800 children from 40 local schools will participate in an action-packed day of safety-related workshops. The children are aged 10 or 11 and preparing to go to their senior schools in September.
The event will take place at the club’s Edgar Davies ground from June 15-19. This year the rugby club will take an increased role in managing the event.
The club’s Karen Sawbridge said: “Since Crucial Crew first came to us in 2022 our involvement as a venue has always been important for us. We are a community-minded club and we welcome the opportunity to extend our work with young children. By taking more responsibility for Crucial Crew we believe we can help improve an already outstanding event."
The 11 workshops include presentations by West Mercia Police, Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service, the Shropshire Youth Service, NHS staff and others on farming and electrical dangers as well as financial issues.
The current chair of Bridgnorth and South Shropshire Crucial Crew, Chris Aked, said: “We’ll have 11 outstanding workshops on topics as diverse as ‘financial matters’ and vaping, to farm safety and mental health challenges. Our objective is to help them take on board ways of dealing with potential safety issues.“
The children are guided around the 15-minute workshops at the event by a mixture of teachers and local volunteers.
At lunchtime senior school students will perform a short play on school bullying, offering advice and tips on how to deal with challenging situations. The scripts are authentic as they are written by the students themselves.
The programme is funded by a mixture of support from the schools, donations from charities and the Police and Crime Commissioner for West Mercia.
For more information contact Chris Aked at cjaked@live.com or via the website www.bss-crucial-crew.co.uk.