Schoolchildren are to learn about the importance of road safety though the medium of poetry.
Performance poet Bernard Young, whose work has featured on BBC’s The One Show, is visiting two schools in County Durham next week to lead workshops which will aim to educate youngsters about safety on roads, through poems.
The guitar playing poet will be at Seaview Primary School at Seaham on Monday and St Bede’s RCVA Primary School, Sacriston on Tuesday.
Bernard will be performing a selection of his poems which feature in poetry anthologies for young readers.
Efforts such as Green fingers, Brilliant, Ref Rap, Orange Socks and Lady Lollipop have also been broadcast on local and national radio.
Durham County Council’s Road Safety Team and its Junior Road Safety Officers will speak to the children on key messages to include in poems of their own, while Bernard will talk to them about different styles.
Pupils will then work on their own or in groups to write their poems before performing them to the whole school at the end of the day.
The visits come as the council rolls out 20 mile per hour part-time speed limits outside up to 66 schools across the county, through its Slow to 20 for Safer Streets project.
John Reed, the council’s head of technical services, said: “This is a fantastic way to reinforce the Slow to 20 message and engage with the children through poetry and music in a fun, entertaining and educational way.
“We’d like to thank Bernard for taking the time to come and help educate children on such an important subject.”
The Junior Road Safety Officer scheme sees children deliver road safety education messages in their own schools.