Nationwide efforts to keep children safe from preventable accidents have been boosted by Birmingham-based child safety heroes The Conies.
The charity has added its support for Child Safety Week (June 1–7) with a simple, printable poster - entitled Stay Safe in the Sunshine - designed for homes, schools and community groups, serving as a timely resource as families face hotter summers and increased outdoor risks. Child Safety Week, organised by the Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT), urges parents, carers and professionals to make simple changes that reduce everyday risks to children. The Conies’ contribution - coming shortly after the charity was honoured with the King’s Award for Voluntary Service - follows a series of tragic child drownings in open water during the May heatwave.
The new poster offers simple, child‑friendly tips for staying safe in the sunshine, delivered by the Conies’ engaging cartoon traffic‑cone‑shaped family. Advice ranges from avoiding hot surfaces to staying hydrated and keeping away from deep or fast‑moving water. Fay Goodman (in pic), Founder and Chair of The Conies – a registered charity, said: “With temperatures rising earlier each year, children are spending more time outdoors - often near rivers, lakes and reservoirs. Despite appearing calm, open water can be extremely dangerous. Several children and teenagers have already lost their lives this year, highlighting the urgent need for clear, child‑friendly safety education.”
The Stay Safe in the Sunshine poster is available online and can be printed at home or school and displayed in classrooms, hallways, community centres or on the kitchen wall. Fay added: “Child Safety Week is a vital time for families, and we want to make safety messages as accessible and child‑friendly as possible.
“Our little Conies help children learn without fear. They are fun, inclusive and easy to relate to. We hope this poster becomes a simple tool that parents and teachers can use to spark conversations about staying safe outdoors.” Founded in 2014 and registered as a charity in 2019, The Conies encourage schools, parents and children to take part in the exciting adventures of the Conies characters while keeping up with new initiatives on their website and social media.
These initiatives include Conies Safe Explorers, a new free series of workshops funded by the National Lottery Community Fund. The workshops help four‑to- 11‑year‑olds develop musical and artistic creativity as part of their safety education, teaching them how to protect themselves around roads, rivers, railway lines, building sites, homes, gardens and online. Since 2017, more than 300,000 children have taken part in The Conies’ Walking to School Safely course, which uses interactive techniques to teach road safety.
The related journal — also available in interactive form on the website — encourages healthy habits including sensible eating, dressing appropriately and personal hygiene. Pilot programmes showed full engagement, highlighting the effectiveness of The Conies’ approach to safety and health education. Despite its success, The Conies urgently need a corporate partner to remain financially viable and continue producing free safety resources for families and schools.
The charity relies heavily on volunteers and donations, and a partnership would allow it to expand its reach and develop new educational materials. Fay added: “We have the cause, the passion, the expertise and the recognition - all the attributes of an ideal Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) partner.”
The Conies is a registered charity.
