SafetyWorks

What SafetyWorks does

SafetyWorks! is a publicly operated interactive safety education centre located at West 15, Whickham View, Newcastle Upon Tyne (NE15 6UN), owned and managed by Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, a UK statutory fire and rescue authority. It serves school children (Key Stages 1–4), vulnerable adults, people with disabilities, BAME groups, and youth organisations across Tyne and Wear and Northumberland. Visitors are booked in via telephone or email and experience realistic, life-sized safety scenarios built with traditional construction methods — including a house (kitchen, living room, bedroom), a street with pedestrian crossing, a police station, a hospital A&E room, a metro station (West Fifteen), a park with open water, a supermarket, and a dedicated community hub for Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) education. Sessions run up to 60 people for two hours, twice daily plus early-evening scout slots, with some groups booking up to a year in advance.

The core technology is experiential learning: visitors actively participate in scenarios rather than receive lectures, supported by trained facilitators drawn from partner agencies (Northumbria Police, Nexus, St John Ambulance, British Transport Police, Local Authority Road Safety Teams). The curriculum covers home fire safety, road safety, anti-social behaviour, drugs and alcohol misuse, water safety, metro safety, hospital A&E awareness, personal safety, personal choices, and CSE/online safety — the latter making SafetyWorks! the first such facility in the North East. An online KidZone portal extends the curriculum via interactive games (POD Police Driving School, Howie the Helicopter, Polly's Road Safety Maze, Smoke Alarm Quiz, Making a 999 Call), and downloadable teacher resources (lesson plans, workbooks, PowerPoints) supplement in-person visits. Structured campaigns run annually for Year 6 transition safety, Year 8 citizenship, Summer Safety, and Bonfire and Fireworks.

The revenue model is primarily public-sector grant funding combined with session-based fees that are not publicly disclosed. The largest disclosed capital injection was a £342,000 Police Innovation Fund grant in 2016 secured by the Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner for refurbishment and the CSE hub build-out. The centre operates as a multi-agency partnership (Fire, Police, Police and Crime Commissioner, Nexus, Sainsbury's, St John Ambulance, Crimestoppers, NWG national CSE network) rather than as a commercial venture, with operational economics sustained largely by the parent fire and rescue authority's budget and in-kind partner contributions. The centre welcomed 14,500 visitors annually with eight consecutive years of year-on-year growth and a 40% visitor increase over three years through 2017.

Name

SafetyWorks

Legal name

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service

Website

https://safetyworks.org.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SafetyWorks! is a publicly funded interactive safety education centre in Newcastle, operated by Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, delivering experiential learning on fire, road, water, metro, and child safety to schoolchildren and vulnerable community groups across the North East of England through life-sized scenario-based sessions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Safety Education Services

NAICS

Fire Protection (92216), Fire Protection (922160), Police Protection (922120)

akta.pro primary industry

Occupant Fire Safety Training, Drills & Warden Programs (BPABAHAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Safety Training, Preparedness & Drills (Active Threat, Fire, CPR) (EDALAEAH), Public Safety & Emergency Preparedness Education (CPR/First Aid/Disaster Readiness) (EDAAAFAJ), Fire Prevention, Inspection & Code Enforcement (Life Safety) (BPAIAGAL), Fire Safety, Life Safety & Code Compliance (EDALAEAI)

Keywords

• Safety education centre
• Experiential safety learning
• Fire safety training
• Road safety education
• Child safety programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

Newcastle Upon Tyne

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Funding and Grants: SafetyWorks! is primarily funded through public sector grants and partnerships. During 2016, the centre received a £342,000 investment from Police Innovation Funding secured by Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Vera Baird. Additional funding comes from local authority committees such as Sunderland City Council's West Area Committee for travel costs.
2. Session Fees: The centre charges for visits though pricing is not publicly disclosed. Contact is required to obtain charging policy details. The service appears to be partially subsidised through partner contributions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SafetyWorks! is an interactive safety education centre that delivers experiential learning through a life-sized, purpose-built "town" featuring realistic scenario environments (house, street, metro station, police station, hospital, park, supermarket). Pre-booked facilitated 2-hour sessions accommodate up to 60 participants from schools, community groups, and vulnerable populations, covering fire safety, road safety, personal safety, anti-social behaviour, water safety, metro safety, and child sexual exploitation awareness. The centre is operated by Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service in partnership with Northumbria Police, Nexus, and other agencies, serving the Tyne and Wear and Northumberland regions.

Product overview

SafetyWorks is an interactive safety education centre operating as a physical facility (a life-sized safety 'town') in Newcastle, managed by Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service in partnership with Northumbria Police and other agencies. The centre offers experiential learning through realistic scenario environments including a house (with Living Room, Kitchen, Bedroom), road with pedestrian crossing, Metro station, police station, hospital A&E, and park. Educational modules include Home Fire Safety, Road Safety, Anti-Social Behaviour, Drugs and Alcohol Misuse, Water Safety, Metro Safety, Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) Education, Hospital A&E, Personal Safety, Personal Choices, and KidZone (online interactive games and quizzes). Sessions are delivered by qualified facilitators from partner organizations and can accommodate up to 60 people per 2-hour session. The centre also provides downloadable school teaching resources and runs structured annual campaigns (Year 6, Year 8, Summer Safety) for schools across Tyne and Wear and Northumberland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Experiential Learning Sessions Pre-booked facilitated 2-hour safety education sessions delivered in a purpose-built life-sized 'town' with realistic scenario environments (house, road, pedestrian crossing, metro station, police station, hospital, park, supermarket). Sessions accommodate up to 60 visitors and are tailored to age groups from Key Stage 1 through to adults, covering fire, road, water, personal, anti-social behaviour, and CSE safety topics.
• KidZone Online Safety Portal

Quantifiable outcome

• 40% increase in visitors over three years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• Northumbria Police and Crime CommissionercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Oversees the Chief Constable and holds them to account. Secured £342,000 Police Innovation Funding in 2016 for centre refurbishment and CSE community hub development. Dame Vera Baird QC served as PCC during major funding period.
• Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe managing and operating organisation of SafetyWorks!. Provides fire safety education, facility management, and staff including the SafetyWorks! Manager role. E-Communications Officer based at Nissan Way, Sunderland headquarters.
• Northumbria PolicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides police-led educational sessions including CSE awareness, personal safety, anti-social behaviour, and crime prevention education. Specially trained Police Community Support Officers deliver sessions at the centre. Also provides funding through Police Innovation Funding.
• NexuscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic transport organisation for Tyne and Wear. Provides metro and travel safety education at the West Fifteen Metro Station scenario. Staff deliver sessions on travelling safely, ticket purchasing, and track dangers.
• Sainsbury'sminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational supermarket chain providing one of the centre's scenario settings (supermarket). Their shop provides a realistic retail environment for safety education.
• St John AmbulanceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst aid education partner contributing to multi-agency approach. Part of Year 6 school programmes bringing together Fire, Police, Metro, Road Safety Teams and St John Ambulance.
• British Transport PoliceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides railway safety expertise complementing the metro station scenario and track safety education.
• Local Authority Road Safety TeamsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRepresentatives from all Local Authority departments contribute road safety expertise to school programmes and campaigns.
• Crime and Disorder Reduction PartnershipsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContribute to the multi-agency approach addressing crime and disorder reduction through community safety education.
• Safety Centre AllianceminorOthersIndustry association providing a directory of safety centres in the UK that provide similar interactive safety scenarios. Serves as peer network for the sector.
• CrimestoppersminorOthersIndependent charity helping to find criminals and help solve crimes, aligned with crime prevention education mission.
• E-Beat (Northumbria Police)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerWebsite by Northumbria Police offering information, advice and guidance for young people to stay safe along with safety games. Provides supplementary teaching resources for teachers.
• NWG (National Working Group for Child Sexual Exploitation)majorOthersCharitable organisation with UK network of over 12,000 practitioners delivering information to professionals tackling CSE and trafficking. Endorsed the CSE community hub at SafetyWorks! as the first of its kind in the North East. Sheila Taylor MBE, Chief Executive, visited and praised the facility.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Safety Central: Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service-operated interactive safety education centre delivering realistic scenario-based training for schools and community groups. Closest direct comparator to SafetyWorks! in operating model, experiential design, and statutory fire-service ownership.
• The Life Centre: Humberside Fire & Rescue Service's immersive safety education centre delivering scenario-based learning on fire, road, water, and personal safety. Matches SafetyWorks! on experiential approach, target audience (schoolchildren and community groups), and statutory fire-service ownership.
• RADS (Risk Avoidance and Danger Survival) Centre: West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service's life-sized interactive safety education centre covering arson, road, water, and personal safety risks. Shares the same bricks-and-mortar experiential methodology and public-sector operating model as SafetyWorks!.
• Hazard Alley: Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service's interactive safety village featuring life-sized scenarios for children and vulnerable groups. Operates on a virtually identical experiential learning model with multi-agency partner delivery, making it a structural direct peer.

Broad incumbents

• Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service: Parent organisation of SafetyWorks! and statutory fire and rescue authority for Tyne and Wear. Relevant as the broader incumbent that owns the centre and provides operational governance, staffing, and funding oversight.
• Northumbria Police: Strategic partner and major funder of SafetyWorks!, delivering police-led sessions on CSE awareness, personal safety, anti-social behaviour, and crime prevention. Provides comparable multi-agency safety-education content at force-wide scale.

Regional players

• Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service: Neighbouring statutory fire service with comparable community safety-education initiatives across Lancashire. Functions as a regional peer offering overlapping safety-prevention programming in a different but adjacent UK geography.

Others

• Safety Centre Alliance: UK industry association and directory of interactive safety centres including SafetyWorks! itself. Acts as a peer network and ecosystem body, useful for understanding the broader UK safety-education landscape rather than as a direct competitor.
• St John Ambulance: National first-aid training charity and SafetyWorks! partner delivering Year 6 first aid modules. Comparable as an adjacent safety-education provider with a national footprint and similar pedagogical approach to youth safety training.

Emerging players

• KidZania: Global experiential learning city for children using roleplay scenarios. Different commercial scale and broader curriculum, but shares the SafetyWorks! thesis that immersive, realistic environments drive stronger educational outcomes for children than classroom-based learning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/safetyworksuk
• Facebookfacebook.com/safetyworksne

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SafetyWorks