Students shown how to splash safely in Barnstaple

STUDENTS at a Barnstaple primary school have been learning about the importance of being careful when playing near stretches of water. Police officers, fire fighters, paramedics, and members of Exmoor Search & Rescue visited Year 5 and 6 students at Landk

STUDENTS at a Barnstaple primary school have been learning about the importance of being careful when playing near stretches of water.

Police officers, fire fighters, paramedics, and members of Exmoor Search & Rescue visited Year 5 and 6 students at Landkey Community School to show how the various emergency services work together to help resolve a situation.

The event, organised by local Police Community Support Office (PCSO) Hannah Denton, also gave pupils the opportunity to quiz the emergency services about what to do in the event of getting into trouble in or near water. They were given advice on how to prevent an incident as well as the consequences of "tomb stoning".

PCSO Denton said: "Last year I held a 'Safety Net Initiative' at the school to increase awareness of the problems of under age drinking and it was a great.

"Building on this approach, I wanted to highlight awareness of water in general following a couple of incidents last year where young people got into difficulties swimming in the South West.

"The pupils' response to the day was very positive," added PCSO Denton.

The initiative is aimed at safety around water but PCSO Denton also hopes it will inspire the youngsters to consider the emergency services as a possible career path in the future.