A group of young people in Rotherham have taken part in a ‘passing out’ event, after completing a five day course aimed at reducing anti-social behaviour in the city.

The event took place last week at Rotherham fire station and saw the young people carrying out a display in the station drill yard to start off the presentation.

The group of nine, aged 13-16, took part in the Achieving Respect and Confidence (ARC) project, a joint initiative between South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue, South Yorkshire Police and other partner agencies.

The course, which mixes practical training with some classroom-based learning, is aimed at young people who have offended, are at risk of offending or have been victims of crime.

The project aims to highlight the consequences of antisocial behaviour and to improve self-discipline, team spirit, fire safety awareness, life skills and values which will improve the life chances of the young people involved.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue’s Simon Brookes, Community Safety Watch Manager said:  “The course helps the young people not just in terms of teaching them firefighting skills and techniques, but also by showing them the value of things like teamwork, discipline and communication.

“We encourage them to think about their behaviour and to make positive choices towards improving their life chances.”

Fire fighters have rescued old supplies to provide fun for animals at the award-winning Yorkshire Wildlife Park.

Hoses, ropes and equipment that were broken or out of date have been ingeniously recycled to create a range of stimulating toys for the animal enclosures.

They have been turned into balls, swings, huts and more to help enrich the animals’ time at the 100-acre innovative park at Branton, near Doncaster.

“The animals will get a lot of enjoyment from the generosity of the Fire Brigade,” said the park’s deputy animal manager Rick Newton.

“We have made our Rhinos a Fire Hose Ball to play with out of the hoses given to us. They are having a great time running around playing with it”

The fire fighters from South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue’s Rossington station were invited to the park to see how their old specialized equipment has been put to use.

“The staff at the park do a fantastic job and we were only too pleased to help out by donating the old hoses, ropes and other equipment for the animals to play with or for their enclosures,” said station manager Shayne Tottie.

“The equipment donated is all stock which is either old, broken or out of date which we are no longer able to use and would otherwise have been thrown away, so when the Park approached us for our help we gladly offered to recycle the equipment.

“The fire crew had a lovely time being shown around the park and meeting all the amazing staff and animals who will hopefully benefit from the equipment.“

The park is home to the Black Rhinos Hodan and Dayo who reside on YWP’s newly extended African Plains and the country’s only polar bears at Project Polar, a ten-acre reserve with caves, natural pools and rolling terrain.

YWP, the no1 walk-through wildlife attraction in the UK, offers families an entertaining, fun filled and educational day out.

Visitors come almost face to face with some of the world’s rarest and beautiful species, including Amur Leopards and Tigers, Lions, Painted Hunting Dogs,
Giant Otters, Guinea Baboons, Meerkats, and many more.

A team of young people taking part in a major local youth development programme have unveiled their hard work and transformation of a community garden.

The group, who are taking part in the Prince’s Trust Team Programme spent a week designing and creating the garden at the Athersley North Community Shop, a hub for local people on low incomes to meet socially and take part in workshops and training classes.

The Prince’s Trust Team Programme is being delivered by South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue and South Yorkshire Police from Barnsley fire station. Team Programme is a 12 week course for unemployed 16 to 25 year olds, offering work experience, qualifications, practical training and a residential development week.

The programme encourages the young people to nominate their own community project, with those on the current scheme choosing to transform this community garden for the local people.  A new footpath and patio area have been created, along with new plants and shrubs and the team even produced handmade garden furniture.

The group were able to fund the transformation after raising cash from a car wash and sponsored walk the week before.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Team Leader Rhian Oxley said: “Team Programme is about more than simply boosting young people’s employment skills. It gives them hope, confidence and the opportunity to make a difference.

“The community project the young people have been involved in is the perfect proof of what they can achieve and the self-belief which they can transfer to their future lives.”

Young people who have spent three months gaining new and exciting valuable work experience were awarded for their efforts last night.

These former Prince’s Trust team members were presented with two awards at the Leeds Grand Theatre as they were recognised for both their individual and team projects.

John Daley, from South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, who runs the programme and attended the awards with the recruits, said he was incredibly proud that their work had been recognised at a regional level.

“It was a fantastic evening which was enjoyed by all and I’m thrilled that the recruits from the programme were awarded for all of their hard work over a 12 week period,” he said.

The programme is delivered by South Yorkshire Police and South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue and involves 16-25-year-olds taking part in everything from team building exercises to community based projects.

The first award winner of the night was Tara Nortcliffe, who was awarded the Prince’s Trust Rising Star.

John said: “Tara beat off competition from around the region and was recognised for overcoming many obstacles in her life and is now embarking on a new chapter thanks to the support of the team leaders of the programme, Rhian Oxley and Paul Newman MBE.”

The second award went to the Dearne Team, who were recognised for their work during a community project at Manvers Lake.

John said: “Dearne Team 2 overcame the weather during storm Doris in one of the largest projects we have undertaken to date.

“The Friends of Manvers Lake now continue the hard work the team began and I’m incredibly pleased they were presented with an award.

“The Princes Trust is a really exciting programme to be a part of and offers fantastic learning and development opportunities.

“I’d like to say a massive well done to the award winners and to everyone involved in the programme so far, they have all done really well.”

To be part of the next Team Programme please contact John Daley on 07769 887249 or princestrust@syfire.gov.uk

Be bright, be seen, be safe ­­– that’s the message being delivered to primary school children in the run up to Bonfire Night.

Police Community Support Officers have been visiting schools across Rotherham to chat about personal safety as part of Operation Dark Nights.

The interactive sessions include a presentation, quiz and opportunity to talk through real-life scenarios with officers from both South Yorkshire Police and South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue (SYFR).

As well as facts around the dangers of fireworks, young people are being taught the ‘stop, drop and roll’ technique, which helps to put out flames, as well as how to behave at an organised bonfire event.

Rotherham PS Sharon Phin, who has helped to organise the sessions, said: “We run this initiative every year because it is vital that we do everything we can to help keep children safe.

“Half of all accidents involving fireworks happen to children under the age of 16 so we target our presentations to those at risk.

“Officers talk to children about sparklers, appropriate bright and reflective clothing and the need to stay close to an adult at organised events.”

Young people are also given advice about when to call 999, the implications of hoax calls and the law around buying fireworks.

“We really want everyone to enjoy Bonfire Night,” added Gary Willoughby of SYFR. “We will continue to run our personal safety sessions to try to make sure that everyone has a safe and enjoyable time.”

Operation Dark Nights is a force-wide campaign providing important safety advice and reassurance to the public over the next four weeks.

For more information visit www.southyorkshire.police.uk/darknights

The fire service is calling on people in South Yorkshire to take extra care ahead of one of the most important periods in the religious calendar.

Firefighters are reminding people celebrating the Diwali festival (Wednesday 18 October) to take extra care with candles and cooking- both common causes of house fires.

Diwali is a bright and vibrant time with many families coming together to celebrate. But the increased use of candles, divas, tealights, fireworks and cooking of special meals can bring additional dangers.

By taking a few simple precautions, families can stay safe during the celebrations.

• Always place divas/diyas, tea lights and candles on heat-resistant surfaces and well away from curtains and decorations.
• Children and pets should be supervised at all times near flames.
• Don’t let yourself get distracted – never leave cooking unattended.
• If a pan with oil in it catches fire, don’t move it and don’t throw water over it. Get out of the kitchen, close the door behind you and call 999.
• Ensure that all fireworks meet British safety standards, store them in a metal box, read the instructions, never go back to a lit firework and keep a bucket of water nearby.

Area Manager Steve Helps said: “We recognise this is a really important time for many people in South Yorkshire, but want to make sure people observe it safely. In particular, people should take extra care with candles, which we know are responsible for some of the most severe house fires we attend. Basic precautions like keeping candles away from flammable materials will help you and your loved ones to celebrate safely.”