NSPCC’s iconic Pantosaurus dinosaur delivers vital safeguarding message to over 1,500 children across Plymouth

A city-wide PANTS week that launched in Plymouth on Monday (11 October), has brought together the NSPCC with ‘Together for Childhood’ partners across Plymouth with the shared aim of keeping children safe from sexual abuse.

From the 11th to the 15th October there was a host of activities, workshops and school assemblies happening across Plymouth around the NSPCC PANTS Campaign - which helps families and professionals start simple, but vital, age-appropriate conversations with children aged 4-11.

The week-long campaign reached over 1,500 children in Plymouth, with 169 parents accessing a free Talk PANTS webinar to support them in having vital conversations with their children.

Pantosaurus, a giant, yellow, pants-wearing dinosaur, made a star appearance at the launch (Monday 11th October) and maintained a regular presence throughout the week, helping promote the #TalkPANTS message through this simple acronym:

Privates are private

Always remember your body belongs to you

No means no

Talk about secrets that upset you

Speak up – someone can help

Earlier this year the NSPCC produced their very own book,Pantosaurus and the Power of PANTS, which is based on the Talk PANTS campaign and is NSPCC’s first children’s book.

The launch at St Budeaux Library involved a special reading of the PANTS book with school children from St Paul’s Catholic Primary school. During the week there were special visits to 14 venues across the city, including several schools and children’s centres in Southway, Morice Town, Manor Street and Tothill. On Thursday the Plymouth Lord Mayor was in attendance at Ford Primary School.

NSPCC’s Local Campaigns Manager, Emma Motherwell, said: “We know that 1 in 3 children sexually abused by an adult didn’t tell someone at the time, so our hope is that every child who has heard the PANTS message this week knows they are not alone and they have people to support them if they ever need to speak to anyone. It’s vital to have these safety conversations with children from a young age and having Pantosaurus to visit helps to make those messages all the more memorable.

“We’ve been overwhelmed with the support received from our local Together for Childhood partners and the Plymouth community and it’s been a brilliant week of activities.”

So far, PANTS has helped make 1.5 million children safer from sexual abuse, but there’s still more to do. We need to keep raising awareness to ensure more of these important conversations are happening.

To find out more about the PANTS campaign, visit the NSPCCwebsite.