If you are under 40 and grew up in Pembrokeshire, chances are you will have run into Crucial Crew at some point in your lives.

The annual Crucial Crew event, aimed at Pembrokeshire pupils in Year 6, celebrated its 30th anniversary this month with two weeks of interactive safety workshops.

One of the most successful events of its kind in Wales, around 40,000 Pembrokeshire schoolchildren have now benefited from the Crucial Crew sessions that have run every year since 1993.

The two-week long event, which is held at Withybush Showground, is co-ordinated through Pembrokeshire County Council’s Road Safety Team with the financial support of South Hook LNG.

Delivering safety advice across a range of everyday situations, Crucial Crew brings together emergency services, agencies and organisations that give children life-long skills.

From water, fire, road and rail safety to domestic violence, electrical hazards, school bus evacuation, dog and internet safety, children are guided through a series of scenarios aimed at raising their safety awareness.

The workshops allow children to experience a mock school bus evacuation, crawl through a smoke-filled house, understand the behaviour of dogs, and learn basic first aid.

Celebrating the event’s 30th anniversary earlier this month, Cllr Rhys Sinnett, cabinet member for residents’ services and Hamad Al Samra, general manager of South Hook LNG Terminal were joined by agency teams and special guests with long-standing connections to Crucial Crew – including one of the event’s founding members, Phil Thompson.

“The 30th anniversary of Crucial Crew is a remarkable milestone, and my thanks and congratulations go to all those involved in organising and sponsoring such a valuable event,” said Cllr Rhys Sinnett.

“I’d also like to thank all of the agencies who every year teach important safety lessons to Year 6 children in Pembrokeshire.

“We are very lucky to have the dedication of such an amazing team of people who are committed to supporting our children and young people to stay safe. It’s quite incredible to think it’s been going for 30 years and long may it continue.”

Hamad Al Samra added: “It is amazing to think that this very special and impactful event has been running for 30 years.

“At South Hook, we are pleased to have given our support over the past fourteen years and look forward to continuing our partnership with Pembrokeshire County Council and the many agency teams who are so dedicated to the safety learnings of our youngsters.”

The agencies and organisations delivering Crucial Crew this year were Pembrokeshire Youth Service, Road Safety, School Transport, National Grid, Network Rail, Welsh Ambulance Service, Dyfed Powys Police, Mid and West Wales Fire Service, John Burns Foundation and the RNLI.