A local company is helping primary pupils to stay safe while walking to and from school during the winter months.
 
Ellan Vannin Fuels is issuing free reflectors to all 6,358 primary pupils.
 
It’s a repeat of an initiative the company undertook in 2012.
 
The gift has been organised in conjunction with the Isle of Man Constabulary’s Central Neighbourhood Policing Team.
 
Handing out the first of the reflectors at 135-pupil Kewaigue Primary School today, Andy Sweetman, Sales and Marketing Manager of Ellan Vannin Fuels, said: ‘We are delighted to be supporting this project again, alongside the Isle of Man Constabulary, following the success of the first initiative in 2012, which received a positive response.
 
‘Children can attach the reflectors to bags or coats and this will make them much more visible to drivers on dark winter mornings and evenings. The road safety message that accompanies the reflectors raises children’s awareness that they need to be seen clearly.’
 
Constable Mike Griffiths, the Isle of Man Constabulary’s manager St George’s and Murray’s wards, said: ‘Ellan Vannin Fuels has supported us for several years now in keeping the Island the safe place it is. Initiatives like this show how the private and public sectors can successfully work together.’
 
Tim Crookall MHK, Minister for Education and Children, was at today’s assembly. Minister Crookall said: ‘Ellan Vannin Fuels has befriended schools in a number of ways, sponsoring buddying and anti-bullying initiatives. This latest gift will ensure pupils throughout the Island are seen on the way to and from school on the gloomiest days of the year. I’d like to thank the company for its generosity.’