THOUSANDS of youngsters will descend on an air base later this month to learn vital lessons.

Nearly 2,000 schoolchildren from all over the Hambleton and Richmondshire districts will be heading for RAF Leeming, near Bedale.

They will be taking part in the fifteenth Crucial Crew campaign run by Hambleton District Council together with North Yorkshire Police.

The campaign will see safety chiefs give the youngsters, all aged ten and 11, vital lessons in how to tackle emergencies.

This year they will include building site safety, dangers around the home, electricity, beach and garden, how to deal with bullying and make an emergency 999 call and how to use victim support services.

The children - from 87 schools - will spend two hours visiting each of 11 "danger" scenarios during the two-week long exercise, which starts on Monday.