New Welsh-language safety story to reach North Wales showgoers
SP Energy Networks has unveiled a Welsh-language edition of its children's storybook Walter and Skye: Danger Detectives, bringing summer safety advice for young families to community events across North and Mid Wales, including shows in Anglesey and Denbigh. The new edition follows a previous title from the same series and is intended to help children understand risks around overhead power lines and electricity substations.
The story, produced in collaboration with author and illustrator Emily MacKenzie, follows puppy siblings Walter and Skye on a summer camping trip that becomes a learning opportunity about staying safe near electrical equipment. According to material from SP Energy Networks, the plot turns a runaway football and an adventurous day into an instructive mission that emphasises where it is safe to pitch a tent, climb trees and fly kites.
“I loved writing this book because it really let me capture what summer feels like for kids – exciting, full of adventure and a little chaotic at times!... And it’s so exciting to see Walter and Skye’s story translated into Welsh.”
SP Energy Networks describes the pair as ideal characters to carry safety messages to children and families. The company says the Welsh-language edition will be debuted at the Anglesey Show and made available at other regional events, giving households across the utility’s patch in North and Mid Wales a local way to access the advice in both Welsh and English.
- Audience: Children and families attending local summer shows and community events.
- Topics: Safety near overhead power lines and substations; seasonal outdoor risks.
- Languages: Book available in English and Welsh.
Practical safety messages for outdoor summer play
The narrative aims to deliver practical rules in a child-friendly form. In promotional material, the campaign highlights a simple safety mantra for young readers — to “look out and look up” — encouraging awareness of overhead lines when playing outdoors. SP Energy Networks also points to previous work in the series, noting an earlier title dealt with staying safe during power cuts and severe weather, indicating the scheme is part of a broader effort to educate families about electricity-related hazards.
| Edition | Theme |
|---|---|
| Walter and Skye: Danger Detectives (English) | Summer safety around overhead lines |
| Walter and Skye: Danger Detectives (Welsh) | Same story, Welsh-language edition for regional audiences |
Sean Griffiths, the company's Health and Safety Director, said the characters and their adventures are well placed to carry these messages in a way that resonates locally. He underlined the importance of communicating in Welsh as well as English to reach as many families as possible across the network’s service area.
For parents, schools and youth groups in Denbigh, the arrival of a Welsh edition provides an extra resource to reinforce safety lessons at home and in classrooms. The pictorial, narrative approach is designed to make potentially worrying subjects accessible and memorable for younger readers, using curiosity and familiar summer activities as a learning vehicle rather than scare tactics.
With summer events returning to local calendars, the timing of the release seeks to meet families where they are — at shows and outdoor gatherings — and to encourage conversations about everyday safety without taking away from the enjoyment of the season. SP Energy Networks says the book will be distributed at regional shows, and the initiative follows its earlier successful community-facing publications that addressed power cuts and severe weather.
Local groups interested in seeing the book or using it as part of workshops and activities should look out for SP Energy Networks stands at upcoming shows in the area, where staff will be able to advise on safety material and other resources for families.
