Douglas Mayor Debbie Pitts has applauded a charity for visiting island’s schools to keep children safe from abuse.

The Mayor invited the island’s NSPCC team - schools service manager Chris Dunn and volunteers Suzanne Howell and Shona Quayle - to the town hall to celebrate the charity’s work teaching schoolchildren how to stay safe from abuse.

The team has visited all of the primary schools in the island twice in the past four years, delivering the NSPCC’s Speak Out Stay Safe assemblies and workshops, teaching children about what abuse and neglect are, and who they can turn to for help if it is happening to them.

The Mayor said: ’Keeping our children safe and ensuring their precious childhood years are untarnished by abuse or neglect is fundamental to every caring society.

’Regrettably, child abuse can often go undetected and unreported, but thanks to the NSPCC and its Speak Out Stay Safe programme, children are learning how to protect themselves, knowing whom they can trust and are equipped with the confidence to speak out and seek help.’

NSPCC volunteer Suzanne Howell helped to set up the Speak Out Stay Safe programme in the Isle of Man.

The former head teacher said: ’In my job I attended a lot of child protection meetings. I experienced, first hand, children suffering in silence and know the impact it has on their lives.

’Children cannot concentrate on learning if they have worries going around and round in their heads.

’In these workshops we are empowering children, letting them know they have the right to be safe and that there’s always someone to turn to. The children are very receptive to it and actually take it very seriously.’

The service can only run with the help of volunteers. If this is a subject which interests you and you are able to give a few hours of your time, twice a month during term time, to volunteer for the NSPCC Schools Service you will find nore information at nspcc.org.uk