For most children the Crucial Crew week at Isle of Man College is a fun event where they learn life skills, but for two teenage boys stranded by the incoming tide in March this year those lessons could well have saved their lives.

The two 15-year-old boys were stranded by the tide at Port Lewaigue, Maughold, but remembered Crucial Crew lessons from years before. Just as they were taught to do in Crucial Crew classes the boys phoned 999 and were ready to provide information about the ‘four Ws - what has happened, where it’s happened, when it happened, and who is making the call. Thankfully the boys were recovered by Ramsey Coastguard and returned home safe and well. But the incident clearly shows the value of Crucial Crew which this year marks its 30th anniversary. Sergeant Wendy Barker, of Isle of Man Constabulary, said:

“There’s a fun approach to all of the presentations, but behind the smiles there are serious messages which children remember and put to good use - as the recent incident at Port Lewaigue shows.”

This year’s Crucial Crew event will be held at Isle of Man College from June 25 to 29. It will include contributions from the Isle of Man Constabulary focusing on how to combat cyber bullying and tips on cycle maintenance to help children stay safe on their bikes. Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Service will be organising a demonstration on safety in the home. Thanks to donations of items from B&B Furniture, fire officers will create a mock up of a bedroom and ask children to spot safety hazards such as overloaded electrical sockets or flammable clothing left near an electric fire. There will be other workshops and demonstrations by St John Ambulance, Isle of Man Coastguard, Manx Electricity Authority and Manx Gas. Manx Telecom has supported Crucial Crew for many years and this year staff will organise workshops advising children how they can stay safe online and when using their mobiles. They will also learn how to use social networks safely and the warning signs that they should report to adults or teachers while online. Children will also be given goodie bags including Manx Telecom top-up cards and other goodies from all the agencies involved. The Department of Community, Culture and Leisure will provide free bus transport for all the school pupils to and from the college.

Image Caption: Members representing organisations contributing to this year’s Crucial Crew event at Isle of Man College