Children in Inverness meet Ziggy at Bellfield Park and Frankie and Lola's Soft Play to learn invaluable road safety skills
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LOCAL children were treated to a special storytelling session at Bellfield Park in Inverness from loveable Road Safety Scotland character Ziggy, as part of a nationwide Ziggy’s Big Day Out tour of country parks in Scotland. After a fun, interactive storytelling session with their favourite alien, and lots of goodies up for grabs, children put their new skills into practice on a walk around the park with Ziggy, helping to bring real road safety situations to life in a safe, fun, and memorable way.
Ziggy also visited Frankie and Lola’s Soft Play in Inverness for another special storytelling session and a fun game of hide-and -seek, reminding the children of the importance of staying safe on our roads while out and about.
During each visit, children are tasked with finding Ziggy soft toys hidden around the soft play venue, each with an important road safety message, such as ‘Hold hands and wait with your toes behind the kerb’ and ‘Dressing brightly helps drivers to see you’.
Ziggy and the children then settle down to read one of the Go Safe with Ziggy books, which are available for ELCs and Primary 1 classes to order for free.
Michael McDonnell, Road Safety Scotland director, said: “Children should be immersed in positive road safety attitudes from a young age and it has been widely recognised amongst behavioural psychologists that early experiences shape children’s future behaviour, reiterating the importance of practising and teaching safe road habits from the very beginning.
“Ziggy is a fun character with an important role and Ziggy’s tour round the country will help put these invaluable skills into practice and create lasting memories for children and parents alike.”
Written by children’s author Lynda Kennedy and illustrated by Lynn Taylor, the Go Safe with Ziggy books are freely available to all Early Learning and Childcare centres and Primary 1 classes in Scotland, and parents and teachers have access to online resources and activity ideas. The Ziggy series is also available in Scots and Gaelic.
Books can be ordered on roadsafety.scot/ziggy-order
