Arriva Trains Wales | PONTHIR FOOTBALLERS TAKE ON BOARD SAFETY MESSAGE

PONTHIR FOOTBALLERS TAKE ON BOARD SAFETY MESSAGE

More than 20 young footballers and parents from Ponthir Junior Football Club, near Cwmbran, have taken part in a special railway safety lesson with Arriva Trains Wales and British Transport Police.

The lesson featured a real life incident reconstructed on DVD and showed the consequences for young people playing near railway lines. Team members were also given an opportunity to speak to officers from the Newport Neighbourhood Policing Team to understand their role and the importance of staying away from railway lines.

Andrew Evans, partnership officer for British Transport Police, said: “Every year, a number of young people are killed or seriously injured while trespassing on the railway. Fatalities or serious injuries can have a traumatic effect on families, rail staff, emergency services and the wider community, therefore the video is a good way of engaging with young people to enhance their safety awareness.”

Geraint Morgan, community affairs manager for Arriva Trains Wales, said: “We were pleased to have been invited back to the club which is situated next to the main Abergavenny to Newport railway line. Some astute questions were asked by the players during the question and answer session, which shows that the stay off the tracks message was very much taken to heart.”

Ponthir Junior Football club runs three teams from under 14 to under 10 in the Torfaen League. Training takes place twice a week at Llantarnum Leisure Centre and Caerleon Comprehensive School. As part of an initiative aimed at encouraging young people to participate in sport, Arriva Trains Wales is providing funding support for the team’s training facilities during the 2007 / 08 season.