Don't become a runaway statistic - talk instead (From Warrington Guardian)

Don't become a runaway statistic - talk instead

HAVE you been so mad with your parents that you have felt like running away?

I am sure that the thought has crossed many young people's minds, but how often are these thoughts turned into actions?

Up until recently, I was sure that it was not very often, and that on the rare occasion when it did happen, the child would return within a few days.

However, after attending a celebratory event of the Talk...Don't Walk project on Wednesday, January 12, my views were immediately changed.

Figures show that around one in nine young people in the UK will run away overnight before the age of 16.

The Talk...Don't Walk project, which was launched in April 2004, addresses the issues surrounding young runaways and sets out to inform people of how much of a problem it is.

Its aims are to reduce the number of cases of young runaways, to reduce the risks there are to children that do run away, and to deliver support to the young people and their families that are affected by this problem.

The event, which was held at the Gateway on Sankey Street, was an enormous success and featured many guest speakers, including Derek Twigg MP, Helen Southworth MP and Chief Constable Peter Fahy, of Cheshire Police.

If you would like to learn more about the Talk...Don't Walk project, visit its newly launched website at www.talkdontwalk.org.uk, or call free phone for a confidential chat on 0800 085 2136.

Don't become a runaway statistic - talk instead