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Education in safety at home, bearing in mind the need to guard the very young and
the old, continued and increased.
General Publicity
Posters and leaflets supporting the quarterly campaigns of RoSPA were distributed.
Special emphasis was made at Guy Fawkes Night and at Christmas.
Training and Talks
Talks to various groups and organisations were undertaken. Many of these were to
youth groups, i.e. Girl Guides, Scouts, Cubs and Brownies, Girls Brigade and youth
clubs. Others included mothers' groups, old people's groups and influencial groups
such as St. John's and Red Cross. Talks on Home Safety were given in schools and
frequently in the courses of health teaching given by Health Visitors.
Campaigns
Disposal of Medicines Campaign
A campaign urging the public to turn out their cupboards and return old medicines
and tablets to their local chemist was held for two weeks in April. Some of the
pharmacists in the boroough agreed to participate by receiving a 'dump box' for use
in their shop, in which was placed the returned material. This was collected for
disposal by the Health Education Staff. In order that the effort may be evaluated, the
material was weighed and the tablets counted; some 22, 000 tablets were destroyed
emphasising not only the danger that lurks in the cupboards and drawers of the homes
in our community, but also the wastage.
It is considered that the effort was worth while if only one child or other person
was saved from accidental poisoning.
Finchley Carnival and Friern Barnet Summer Show
This year, at the Finchley Carnival, a float was entered in the procession, the
theme being 'The facts about home accidents'. It showed the need to guard the
young and old. At both events a display was mounted and free literature disseminated
and a children's competition was again organised. This attracted a large
number of children on both occasions in spite of the weather and it is considered that
many children were made aware of the hazards at home.
Displays
The occasion of Guy Fawkes' Night is always fraught with apprehension, knowing
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