We are proud to support Shrewsbury & Oswestry Crucial Crew, a long-running community initiative that equips Year 6 pupils with vital life skills as they prepare for secondary school.
Shrewsbury & Oswestry Crucial Crew is a safety event for eleven-year-olds from up to 50 schools in the Shrewsbury & Oswestry area which has been running since 1994. The annual event for impressionable and vulnerable children, provides them with important life skills as they progress to Secondary School and become Junior Citizens in their local communities.
Now in its 31st year, Crucial Crew brings together local agencies including West Mercia Police, Shropshire Fire & Rescue, RNLI, and Shropshire Council to deliver engaging, real-world safety scenarios. Topics covered include internet safety, drug and alcohol awareness, first aid, and water, railway, and farm safety – all delivered through hands-on sessions and reinforced with take-home workbooks.
This year, the event welcomed its 36,000th child, with around 1,400 pupils attending, from up to 50 schools in the Shrewsbury and Oswestry area. It’s all made possible by an incredible team of over 100 unpaid volunteers, many of whom have been involved since the event began in 1994.
Our contribution of £500 helped fund this year’s event, now held at the Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings. The event not only benefits the children who attend, but also offers staff from local businesses the chance to volunteer as chaperones — a rewarding experience that supports both community engagement and personal development.
“Crucial Crew’s ability to continue providing invaluable life skills to large groups of children in Shropshire is very much down to the support received from sponsors such as Morris Property,” said Geof Proffitt, Deputy Chairman and Trustee. “1,400 children are attending this year and the information received feeds itself back to the very communities where the children live.”
Crucial Crew was honoured in 2024 with The King’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest recognition for volunteer groups in the UK.
To learn more about the initiative, visit: shrewsburyoswestrycrucialcrew.com
