MORE than 1500 youngsters across the Northern Yorkshire Dales hopped on board a special double decker bus last week and received a fun but frank lesson in the dangers of drug abuse.

Coordinated by the Hambleton Community Safety Partnership, the FRANK bus visited Northallerton, Stokesley and Thirsk as part of a national campaign to educate young people on the dangers of drugs.

Frank drugs advice for Dales youngsters

It called into secondary schools in Stokesley, Thirsk and Northallerton on the north of England leg of its tour to allow people to find out more about FRANK - the national drugs information service backed by the Home Office.

On board were advisors from FRANK as well as Hambleton based drug counselor, Liz Calvert.

At Thirsk and Stokesley schools, pupils visited the bus during their lunch hours, break times and after school while sixth formers used their free periods to check it out.

In Northallerton all year nine students were allowed to take 30 minutes out of lessons to board the bus - they also got a chance to watch the Community Safety Partnership's hard hitting water safety film, Dying to be Cool.

The schools year seven and eight pupils were allowed to visit during lunch and break times and after school. And several of the children were asked to meet Home Office officials who had come to the town to check out how well the campaign was being received.

To contact FRANK for confidential advice call 0800 77 66 00, or check out www.talktofrank.com. Calls from landlines are free and do not show up on the phone bill. Calls from a mobile vary in cost depending on networks and might show up on the bill.

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