FORMER Eastenders' bad boy Ross Kemp paid tribute to 28 good young citizens from Herefordshire when he visited the Courtyard theatre last week.

The youngsters were being rewarded for their efforts at this summer's Crucial Crew extravaganza in Bosbury where they learned safety lessons to help avoid the many dangers of everyday life.

After being brought to the Edgar Street venue with a police escort, which the actor likened to a ride at Alton Towers, Mr Kemp praised the children and organisers for completing such a valuable course.

Impressed

"I am really impressed with all of you here today and that goes for the instructors, the kids, and the teachers," he said.

"The skills you have learned on this course will stay with you for the rest of your lives.

"I hope Crucial Crew can be taken to other counties as well, because new and different dangers are presenting themselves in society all the time," he added.

Before Mr Kemp presented the children with their certificates, joint event organiser Judy Cecil from Bosbury Primary School outlined the eight safety initiatives carried out by the children from a collection of Herefordshire schools.

Accidents

Under the guidance of paramedics, fire officers and the other half of the organisation team, PC Keith Eyles, pupils gained first-hand experience of how to cope with accidents on farms, on the road, and at home.

Isobel Morris, from Wigmore Primary School, was one of the students who felt the activities had taught her a lot about life.

"It was better than normal school because the instructors let you get more involved with what is going on," explained the 11-year-old.

And 10-year-old Adrian Collins, from Ashperton Primary School was equally enthusiastic.

"I really enjoyed Crucial Crew, especially the pretend car crash," he said. "It was a new way to learn and showed you the real dangers."