Op Bang Challenge - are you ready?

Are you aged 5 to 18?

Would you and your friends like to win prizes worth up to £100 each?

Or are you part of a club which could win a cash prize of up to £750 for your group?

North Wales Police, in partnership with the North Wales Fire and Rescue Service have launched #OpBangChallenge – an opportunity for children and young people to complete a project to better their community in some way.

With Halloween and Bonfire Nigh fast approaching, both services are once again working together to ensure celebrations are safe and enjoyable for everyone.

Projects could look at matters such as promoting road safety matters or looking at how something could be improved in your community. It could also involve looking at neglected spaces to help prevent fires or safeguarding vulnerable members of the community during the Halloween and Bonfire Night period.

PC Melanie Cartledge-Davis, North Wales Police’s Youth Engagement and Intervention Officer said: “This time of year is traditionally busy for all emergency services, with a small minority of people using the Halloween and Bonfire period to commit anti-social behaviour, placing themselves and others at risk of injury.

“By launching the #OpBangChallenge we are hoping that children and young people will be inspired to think of ways on how to improve their communities and is also an opportunity to increase the amount of positive contact between the police and young people.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for them to get together with their friends and help out in their local area.

“We are excited to see what creative ideas the teams will come up with and the impact they’ll have on local areas.”

Jane Honey, Community Safety & Arson Reduction Manager for North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, added: “We’d like to see as many people as possible getting involved in the #OpBangChallenge and can’t wait to find out more about the projects.

“Innovative initiatives like this are a great way of communicating our important Halloween ad Bonfire safety messages to our young people - helping ensure that everyone in the region can enjoy a safe and happy time."

The challenge will be split in two:

Team Challenge:

• Three Judging categories for years 1 to 4, 5 to 9 and 9 to 13
• 1 to 4 persons per team
• The project must benefit someone or something
• Prizes worth up to £100 per person are up for grabs including some great runner-up prizes

Group Challenge:

• 5 to 15 per team
• Mixed ages between 5 and 18
• Any groups/clubs taking part must already be established
• An opportunity to win cash prizes for your club: 1^st Prize of £750, second prize of £500 and 3^rd prize of £250
• Groups can enter more than one team

Further information and details of how to get involved are available via Op Bang Challenge 2022 - Firework & Bonfire Safety - In your community - Keeping You Safe - North Wales Fire And Rescue Service (gov.wales)

Social media users are encouraged to tag us in any posts using the #OpBangChallenge2022 hashtag. Don’t forget to include your team name in any posts.