Black and minority ethnic communities from Gloucestershire were invited to the county’s SkillZONE centre to mark Global Road Safety Week.

The state-of-the-art centre in Tuffley Lane, Gloucester, is a unique village which gives people of all ages the chance to visit 16 zones, each designed to teach them how to recognise a range of dangerous situations, including on the road, in the water or at home.

The sessions were held from 11am to 2pm on Wednesday 8th May and Saturday 11th May, and focused particularly on road safety issues.

Twelve members of the Gloucester Bangladeshi Women’s Group were given a tour of the centre on Wednesday, with interpreters on hand to help explain the scenarios. A number of other families from the county’s Asian community visited on Saturday.

Road safety team leader Andre Bovington said: “This has been a great opportunity to open up SkillZONE to groups who may not otherwise have seen what the centre has to offer. It is vital for us at the Road Safety Partnership to reach out to all community groups in the county, giving everyone essential information and advice about reducing the risk of injury when using Gloucestershire’s roads. 

“Our messages during this week have been about pedestrian safety and, although many of us think walking is a simple and easy way to get about, sadly there are still too many people, most of whom are adults, being hit by motorists in built-up areas.

“Everyone who came took something away with them and many of the visitors told us how much they appreciated being reminded of such important safety advice.”