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Be Safe, Be Seen, Be Bright

(and it doesn’t have to involve yellow jackets!)

Fluorescent reflective clothing

Making sure your children are ‘safe and seen’ is increasingly important as the nights draw in and could potentially save their lives. But how can you convince fashion-conscious children that fluorescent, reflective clothing is cool enough to wear? BrightKidz founder and mother of three, Alison Holland, has made it her mission to prove that being seen can look good too.

The award-winning BrightKidz sells over 200 different fluorescent, reflective products for children in a wide range of colours and styles. The inspiration for the business first came after Alison started a ‘Walking Bus’ scheme in 2003 at her children’s local school and was unable to find a good range of high visibility waistcoats in child sizes.

‘I could see how the fluorescent colours made the children so much more visible to drivers’, she says. ‘They were not keen on the traditional yellow waistcoats so we developed a range using other colours and styles inspired by the children at a school design club which I ran. We launched our sales website (www.brightkidz.co.uk) and have extended the range to include coordinating bookbags, umbrellas, snapbands, reflectors as well as a more traditional budget range,’ she says.

The organisation also provides information about walk to school initiatives and runs educational projects to promote the ‘be safe be seen’ message. They particularly highlight the importance of being seen in fading daylight and understanding how hard it can be for drivers to spot children in dark coats and dark school uniforms. As a social enterprise all income from sales is used to cover costs and ploughed back to support their information service, providing tips on walking schemes and how to be bright.

Here Alison explains how fluorescent, reflective clothing and accessories can help all children to be safer, especially at this time of year.

  • Fluorescent for Day. With the onset of autumn, children will be walking or cycling to school on misty mornings or coming home towards twilight; conditions when it is very hard to be seen. Bright, fluorescent colours really show up well when daytime weather is bad or when daylight is fading (but not after dark).
  • Reflective for Night. If children attend after-school clubs in winter they may come home in the dark. If so, carrying or wearing something reflective can help them to be seen by drivers. Reflective materials work properly after dark (but not in daytime).
  • Be Seen Day, Dusk and Night. To be seen at all times, wear or carry something that is fluorescent and reflective. This is especially important if children have dark uniforms or dark coats.
  • Be Cool. If you want your child to wear it, make sure you kit them out in high vis that they like! It doesn’t have to be a yellow jacket. See the BrightKidz range for lots of funky ideas and colours.
Brightkidz Logo

The organisations successes include being shortlisted for the 2007 Women in Ethical Business Award sponsored by Triodos Bank.

For more information or to order online visit www.brightkidz.co.uk or telephone 01536 526461. Discounts are available for schools, registered childminders and youth organistions.

Keeping Children Safe From The Hidden Dangers In Our Homes
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