LOCAL CHILDREN were treated to a special storytelling session at Wilton Lodge Park, Hawick last week, from Road Safety Scotland’s character Ziggy, as part of a nationwide Go Safe with Ziggy tour of country parks in Scotland.

The tour aims to help equip children and parents with the skills, knowledge and attitudes that will keep children safe on our roads now and in later life.

After a fun, interactive storytelling session with their favourite alien, and lots of goodies up for grabs, the children put their new skills into practice on a walk around the country park with Ziggy, in a safe environment to remind children and parents of the importance of staying safe on our roads.

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 the Go Safe with Ziggy tour of country parks 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.

Currently, Early Learning and Childcare centres are able to order their books by completing the postal order form they will have recently received, or by downloading the form from the RSS website.

For more information, visit roadsafety.scot/learning/go-safe-with-ziggy.