HORSHAM youngsters were treated to an array of activities to celebrate a 17th year of Junior Citizens Week at Drill Hall.
Almost a thousand primary school pupils from 26 schools in Horsham District visited Horsham to learn about important life skills, from water saving to health and safety.
Southern Water, Sussex Police, Horsham District Council, West Sussex Fire and Rescue, Royal National Lifeboat Institute and UK Power Networks were all on hand to impart some knowledge to the primary school pupils.
Louise Goldsmith (Con, Chichester West), leader of West Sussex County Council, and Leonard Crosbie (LDem, Trafalgar), vice chairman of Horsham District Council, were two of the guests.
Mr Crosbie said: “For me it’s a wonderful event for the children before they go to secondary school to learn about local, political and community issues.”
“It gives me a great lift to see so many youngsters engaged when they have so many distractions.”
Sussex Police went along to teach the pupils about health and safety, while Southern Water were keen to emphasise water-saving skills in a time of drought and a hosepipe ban on the way.
PC Keith Beckley, neighbourhood schools officer for Sussex Police, said: “Hopefully they go away with quite a buzz and lots of good positive messages about being good citizens and staying safe.”
Andy Shaddick, Public Affairs Manager at Southern Water added: “Southern Water is thrilled to be supporting the event as it is such a valuable learning programme for children in the area. It is a great opportunity for us to educate the next generation of water users on the importance of not wasting water, particularly at a time when drought is affecting our region, and we hope that they will pass these messages on to family and friends.”