YOUNGSTERS have given their seal of approval to a "crucial" new website created and launched in York.

The website - www.crucial-crew.org - was unveiled in the city, to add an exciting new dimension to the Crucial Crew initiative, which, in York, sees more than 10,000 youngsters aged ten to 11 take on realistic emergency scenarios at Huntington Stadium in March each year.

The website was created by interactive media experts York Multimedia, and York-based video game specialists Revolution Software, in collaboration with PC Jon Palmer, youth action officer with Safer York Partnership, who has run Crucial Crew for six years.

The website features safety tips and advice, and a virtual house where children can navigate their way through a range of situations. Pupils from Saxton School, in Tadcaster, soon got to grips with the site at the launch and learned tips about how to handle an emergency.

Teacher Mary-Jane Murray said: "This website has excellent potential for easy learning for kids. It has got action, humour and all the things children need."

Updated: 09:02 Friday, February 28, 2003