Safe Saturday In Bognor

Emergency services have teamed up to hold a festive community safety event in Bognor on Saturday December 13.

Police officers and firefighters will be joined by colleagues from the Safer Arun Partnership at the event on London Road in Bognor town centre between 11am and 2pm to raise awareness of personal safety over the festive period.

Christmas is a time for gathering together to celebrate with family and friends and the event is a time for emergency services to help given safety advice.

Historically, the festive season can also be a time when people are tempted to have an unplanned drink, particularly at Christmas parties, before getting behind the wheel. Last December, 211 people were arrested for drink-driving offences in Sussex and 26 people were injured in drink-driving related collisions.

Alongside advice on how to stay safe over the Christmas period, there will be plenty of festive fun for the family to enjoy, including Santa’s Grotto, live music by Rox Music & Arts, performance from award-winning TLA steel band, face painting for children, polish bakery and food samples and cycle marking.

District commander, Chief inspector Pip Taylor, said:

We are very privileged to have such a diverse and vibrant community in Bognor and this event is to celebrate our differences and include as many people as possible to enjoy this event.

It is also an opportunity to bring together our partner agencies to give advice and guidance at this time of year and we all look forward to a successful event.”

Dave Benham, station manager for West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, said:

Bognor is a vibrant and culturally diverse town so we want to ensure that this event and our advice reflects that diversity and is as inclusive as possible.”

“We believe that getting out into the community alongside our partners with events like this is a great way to remind people of the simple things people can do to stay safe in their homes and on the road this Christmas.”