Paving the way to safety for pupils
FRASER WILSON
Pupils at St Leonard’s Primary were given the lowdown on road safety from a leading haulage and building firm.
That saw staff from Tarmac visit the school to share their expertise and knowledge with teachers and children.
Tarmac are one of number of firms working at the nearby site of the former school at Brancumhall, which is being transformed into 60 new homes by building firm Cruden on behalf of South Lanarkshire Council.
In particular Tarmac wanted to increase children’s awareness of the risks of being situated close to a construction site.
Area transport manager, Stuart Torrance, told us how Tarmac “pride ourselves” in being leaders in safety relating to both driver and public safety.
He told the News: “As a business we work hard to reduce the risks associated with heavy goods vehicles through additional safety features, such as 360 degree cameras, side sensors, audible alarms and extensive driver training.
“A main area of focus in safety is around vulnerable road users such as cyclists and children. With St Leonard’s being so close to a construction site, we saw this as an opportunity to share our expertise and knowledge with teachers and children to increase awareness of risks and advise on road safety.
“This was done through classroom learning combined with practical where we took a fully operational HGV into the school and spent the day with over 200 pupils and teachers.
“From our point of view, it was a really rewarding day for my team spending time with the children and seeing their interest in learning.
“It’s a great opportunity in our business to take positive action in the community and hopefully reduce accident statistics.”
When finished, the Brancumhall site will be one of the local authority’s biggest developments of new social housing.
Headteacher Lorraine Mullen welcomed the visit.
And pupils from the school also welcomed the visit, with Aidan B telling us it was “fun,” and that he enjoyed learning about trucks.
Pupil Eilidh said: “It was educational, learning about the safety of trucks,” whilst her pal Emily said: “I liked the video and seeing how the tipper trucks dumped all the sand.”
Joseph Q added: “We got to go on the truck and we watched people behind us. They were doing funny dances,” while Mari said: “I feel more confident around trucks.”