Kids shine brightly in Pebley visi vests
What do 420 children in high-visibility jackets look like? Bright, is the short answer. And on Friday morning (February 14) pupils from Robert Le Kyng primary school in Swindon donned their 'visi vests' to raise money for the road safety charity Brake.
Bridgemead-based Suzuki and Hyundai dealership Pebley Beach has donated visi vests to each of the children at its nearest school, helping them to stay safe and be seen.
In return, the company asked the children to take part in a special dress-down event, by wearing bright clothes - along with their visi vests - to raise money for Brake.
Besides the fun, there was a serious message: that wearing bright clothes makes children more visible to motorists, especially on dark winter mornings and evenings.
Dominic Threlfall, managing director of Pebley Beach said: "Keeping our children safe on Swindon's streets is the responsibility of us all.
"That's why, as well as issuing children with visi vests, we've offered their parents a free winter health check for their car, in return for a £5 donation to Brake.
"And it's an offer we've extended to every motorist in Swindon, who can book by visiting our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pebleybeach and clicking on the Winter Check tab."
Dave Barnett, assistant head teacher at Robert Le Kyng Primary School, said: "We were delighted to run a Bright Day for Brake to support a worthwhile charity.
"We also saw it as a great opportunity to tell our children about our school's particular issues - the importance of using the lollypop man, being careful when using mobile phones on the road, and not walking through the school car park."
Brake spokesman Rich Andrew said: "The money donated by Robert Le Kyng Primary School and Pebley Beach will be crucial in funding our work supporting people bereaved or injured by road crashes, and campaigning for safer roads in communities across the UK".