Having safer roads in Merseyside is our endeavour all year round, but never more so than at Christmas. At a time when most of us want to focus on happiness and positivity, it can be difficult to draw attention to some of the tragedy that can come as a consequence of the festive season. Drink-driving, drug-driving, preoccupied pedestrians… Christmas, sadly, is a time that puts road users at an increased risk.
To get these important safety messages across in a way that was also light hearted, we reached out to Merseyside, and found a choir that was founded on the same community spirit that has come to characterise the way we work as a partnership.
Southport’s ‘Off-Key Choir’ was founded by Diane and Byron as a way to bring people together who love to sing, but don’t have the confidence, o feel they have the ability, to sing in a professional choir. They believe in the power of group-singing to boost mental and physical health, and to bring light into people’s lives. Off-Key Choir has been a huge success, attracting people of all ages, and we were incredibly to have them agree to work with us.
Our data analyst identified the most at-risk groups across the festive-season, and actions road-users could take to alleviate some of that risk. From that, we re-wrote ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’ to convey the information in an upbeat, tongue-in cheek way so that the choir could have a go at singing it!
The enthusiasm, commitment and heart that the members brought to the project made it a privilege. To have people of all ages dressing up, practicing and putting their all into performing so that their community could be safe was a true piece of Christmas joy. We hope that everyone who watches it will not only use the road safely at Christmas, but also know that they – their safety and well-being – matters to others.
Merry Christmas from all of us at Merseyside Road Safety Partnership!
