Tales from the Walking Bus #1: Walking Bus to the Rescue.
Last week on a cold and icy morning we were walking along to school as normal. Then we saw a lady who had slipped over and hurt herself badly. A couple of the mums went to help her and call an ambulance. Their own children joined us on the Walking Bus so they could get to school while their mums helped the lady (they were already registered to join).

Of course someone would have helped the lady anyway but the Walking Bus made it much easier for the assistants as they didn't have to worry about getting their kids to school. It probably gave the lady more dignity not having kids standing around watching her too.

Hubby was watching Match of the Day on TV last weekend. Three kids in the crowd were wearing yellow high visibility waistcoats....and the camera focused on them for ages.

Moral of this story is...if you take your kids to a football match that's being televised and you want a better chance of seeing them on TV in the crowd, make sure they're wearing a fluorescent, reflective waistcoat!!!

Today a BBC television crew rolled up to film us for a news item about BrightKidz for Look East, our regional BBC news programme. Massive excitement for the children of course!! We had the perfect setting because we were outside the school and it was getting near to twilight so the children's fluorescent colours showed up really well, as they are meant to when daylight is fading.

Nowadays lots of the local children wear high-vis when they walk to and from school. Admitedly even more of them did today than usual (the power of TV!). I hope more of them will get the 'high-vis habit' and wear it regularly especially at this time of year when it gets dark so early.

I think our new fluorescent pink reflective sashes will be popular with the older girls. The boys like winding the fluorescent yellow reflective sashes around their rucksacks.

Another use for high-vis I've thought of today..... if you're in a crowd being filmed for TV and you want to be spotted just wear some high-vis. Best if it's in a colour other than fluorescent yellow otherwise you will blend in with the police and security guards. Not a good idea if you are an extra in something like Lord of the Rings as I don't think they had high-vis waistcoats in Tolkein's day.

Bbbbbrrrrrrr.....it's freezing today. Despite the cold weather our Walking Bus turnout was really good as so many people have just got into the habit. The kids (not just on the Walking Bus) were excited as today they were given their WOW badges for Walking On Wednesdays in November (a scheme by Living Streets).

Yesterday it was so dark as the children came out of school. At least more and more of them are wearing their high vis waistcoats as they come out, rather than just in the morning. After school is when they really need to be bright nowadays. It helps having the teachers reminding them to put them on!