‘BE Safe, Be Seen’ is the message being promoted by Maddaford Funeral Services on Launceston’s St Thomas Road, now that the clocks have gone back.

Colleagues at the funeral home, which is owned by Co-op Funeralcare, arranged for more than 3,000 reflective badges to be donated to children from several pre-schools and primary schools in and around the Launceston area, so that the youngsters can travel in safety during the darker mornings and evenings.

Be Safe Be Seen, the initiative by road safety charity Brake, has been supported by Co-op Funeralcare for more than ten years. More than 30,000 badges were handed out by the funeral provider across the UK in 2015, with the aim of issuing a further 30,000 in 2016.

The blue high visibility reflective pin-badges were given to pupils, aged three to eleven, who attend many of the schools in the Launceston area. This forms part of a nationwide scheme to keep children safe during the darker months.

Mandy Atherton, funeral director for Maddaford Funeral Services, who has distributed the badges to local children for the past three years, said: “It’s important during this time of year that youngsters take even more care when travelling to and from school. We’re always passionate about projects that help and support the local community, and we hope that these reflective badges will keep the local children safe.”

Theresa Mills, headteacher of South Petherwin Primary, one of the schools which benefitted from the scheme, added: “We try to teach our pupils about the importance of road safety, especially during the darker, colder nights when dangers on the roads can increase.

“We are so grateful to those at Maddaford Funeral Services for their donation of reflective badges, and we hope it helps to raise awareness within the rest of the community.”