The Mix recently hosted over 1,000 Year 6 pupils (ages 10 and 11) from 43 local primary schools across Suffolk for its annual Crucial Crew event focused on personal health and safety.
Held from 16-24 June 2025, the personal health and safety event featured interactive workshops delivered by local emergency services, including Suffolk Fire and Rescue, Suffolk Police, School Nurses, Turning Point, British Army Welfare, East Anglia Air Ambulance, and The Mix’s youth work team.
These workshops covered topics ranging from smartphone safety to awareness regarding healthy sugars.
For eight years, Mid Suffolk Crucial Crew has been dedicated to helping students transition from primary to secondary school by educating them on various aspects of personal health and safety.
Event Highlights:
- Turning Point: The team addressed the dangers and risks of drugs and alcohol, educating pupils on the impact these can have on their bodies and lives.
- School Nurses: Sessions focused on managing worries. Using a creative exercise with parcels representing worries, students learned how overwhelming concerns can affect their daily tasks and were taught breathing techniques for mindfulness and wellbeing.
- The Mix Youth Workers: An engaging session on smartphone safety covering group chats in apps and how to recognise cyberbullying and how to be a good friend.
- Suffolk Police: They presented crucial information on online safety, emphasising the importance of not trusting unknown individuals online and understanding consent related to sharing images. Their lively sessions often include music and dancing.
- East Anglian Air Ambulance: volunteers from the East Anglian Air Ambulance delivered a session on CPR, showing young people what acronym to use if they find someone unconscious, along with some hands-on practice with dummies.
- Army Welfare: Their session on sugar intake educates students on the importance of a balanced diet and tips for maintaining healthy sugar levels.
- Suffolk Fire and Rescue: Real firefighters brought their fire pod to simulate real-life scenarios, teaching pupils how to identify household dangers in their bedrooms and respond in case of a fire.
At the beginning and end of each morning and afternoon session, the schools come together in the big hall at The Mix where staff give a short address to let schools know what we do and what to expect before they get going, and at the end the team asks pupils what they learnt from their seven sessions that morning or afternoon.
The Mix's Crucial Crew event continues to be a pivotal experience for young students, equipping them with essential knowledge and skills for their personal health and safety as they prepare for the next stage of their education.
The event is funded by Babergh & Mid-Suffolk District Council’s and Suffolk Resilience Forum, a partnership of many agencies including Local Authorities, Suffolk Fire & Rescue Service, Suffolk Constabulary, HM Coast Guard, Environment Agency, Eastof England Ambulance Service, NHS Integrated Care Boards, UK Health Security Agency and more.
Local councillors from Babergh and Mid-Suffolk District Councils were welcomed during the event to see first hand the value of each session and what young people gain from the event.
Crucial Crew isn’t just the teams delivering each lesson; it is the team planning the event for next year as soon as this event is over to keep the relationships with the emergency services and schools, it is the co-ordinator reporting on each event, it is the fundraiser ensuring we have enough funding to continue to host these events, and it’s the café team at Cabbages & Kings that provide seven hearty meals for all the staff delivering over the seven days. Crucial Crew couldn’t happen without a whole host of people working behind the scenes.
Laura Saville, Crucial Crew coordinator and part of front of house team, said; “Crucial Crew 2025 was a huge success. The young people were so engaged with each session.
“Over the seven days we delivered over 30 hours of youth work and 686 sessions to local primary schools. Over 1,000 young people were able to learn about personal health and safety in a new and engaging environment. The community links with real local emergency services are so beneficial to the young people, and the providers spoke so passionately that it made it fun.”
Quotes from teachers who attended
“Crucial Crew is a fantastic and valuable experience. Big thanks to all the providers for their expertise and excellent presentations. The children get so much out of it.”
“Brilliant day. All pupils were engaged and found it very informative.”
“Very well run and organised.”
“We really like the pace of the event as it keeps the children engaged.”
Drop ins forYear 6’s!
For the first time this summer, The Mix is offering summer holiday drop ins for Year 6 pupils going up to Year 7. These drop ins take place at The Mix in Stowmarket and are free to young people and provide a safe place to chill, hang out with friends, get creative with art supplies, play video games and get involved in other activities.
If you’re in Year 6 and going into Year 7 in September 2025, come to our drop ins over summer:
Monday 28th July – 12pm-3pm
Monday 4th August – 12pm-3pm
Monday 18th August – 12pm-3pm
Once they’re in Year 7 they will be able to come to our Year 7 weekly after school drop ins.
