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Trustees

Brigitte Chaudhry

Brigitte Chaudhry MBE

RoadPeace Founder and President

When Brigitte’s only son, Mansoor aged 26, was horrifically killed in October 1990 by a van driver who had ploughed into him whilst driving through a junction with lights already red for a long time, she was shocked at the shabby treatment of his innocent death. Brigitte quickly learnt that the response to a road death, however blameless the victim and reckless the offender, was worlds apart from the response to a violent death caused by someone in other circumstances. She protested through legal actions in the High Court – eventually three judicial reviews over five years. She found other people who were bereaved through letters in newspapers and approaches to Compassionate Friends, and she documented their experiences.

These experiences made it clear that a grave injustice was being perpetrated and suffered. Together with some of the people she met, Brigitte decided that to challenge the casual attitude to road casualties and offer support to the victims, a dedicated organisation needed to be set up, since none existed and no-one spoke up for road victims. RoadPeace’s first meeting was held around Brigitte’s dining table in 1991 and the organisation began in 1992 with the first ever helpline for road crash victims, which she manned at the same time as developing the organisation.

As National Secretary, Brigitte has been involved with the day-to-day work of RoadPeace for 16 years, stepping down at the 7th April 2008 conference, which celebrated RoadPeace’s 15 years of pioneering work since its public launch on the same date in 1993. Brigitte’s engagement with RoadPeace continues in her role as president, but she was also working at international level for road crash victims: from 2004 to 2010 she has been President of FEVR (European Federation of Road Traffic Victims) and in collaboration with the World Health Organisation she continued to develop and promote the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, resulting in this Day now being celebrated throughout the whole world following its adoption by the United Nations in 2005. Brigitte was at the origin of this day in 1993 and is also the author of theWorld Day websitelaunched in early 2008, and was its editor until December 2017.

For more of Brigitte’s experiences please read the following:
Hidden Victims – how RoadPeace began

Past and future challenges – Brigitte Chaudhry speech to the RoadPeace 15th Anniversary Conference

History of RoadPeace – The First 16 Years

World Day of Remembrance – 25th Anniversary Report

Petra

Petra Kendall-Raynor

Chair of Trustees

Petra has a professional background in journalism, with extensive experience in print, broadcast and digital news, including digital start-ups. She has worked for the national press writing for national and international news agencies in both London and Los Angeles. Petra has also specialised in health journalism and has written across journals for the publishing arm of the Royal College of Nursing. She currently works in communications for the NSPCC.

Petra’s father Thomas died after he was hit by a car when crossing a road as a pedestrian.  She has volunteered for RoadPeace since 2018 helping with her local North West group and nationally as Chair of the Board of Trustees since 2022. Petra believes in the importance of collaboration in working towards the prevention of tragedy on the roads.

Nic

Nic Atkinson KC

Secretary

Before retiring in 2019 Nic practiced as a barrister for almost 50 years, more than half that time as a QC, and as a part time Judge for 35 years. Nic says: ‘It became clear to me many years ago that the public were very poorly served by the criminal law in respect of crashes that resulted in death. I was involved in a trial where five children sitting on a bench had been killed by a disqualified driver who lost control of his car whilst racing on a public road.

At the time the maximum possible penalty faced by that driver was imprisonment for a period of 5 years. Towards the end of that trial I was approached by a grieving father whose son had been killed in another crash and he was becoming involved in the setting up of RoadPeace. Following that approach I volunteered to assist in some way. Thereafter I spoke at the launch of the charity and at various RoadPeace events at the House of Commons and elsewhere, including abroad. I contributed to discussions on radio and television. I was pleased to be asked to become a Patron. During the Blair years I was part of RoadPeace delegations to the Home Office. Every year we received a sympathetic hearing from junior minsters who changed annually as they climbed up the political greasy pole. Little progress was made although the same silent civil servants were usually present. Death on the roads is dealt with as a Road Traffic Offence. It has always been my view as it remains that it should be dealt with as Homicide. Such a classification would reflect the views of those in society affected by these tragedies on the road and would result in greater attention and importance given to the investigation by the Police, the involvement of the CPS and the Courts.’
Alex Swann

Alexandra Swann

Alex is a senior marketing professional who has worked with a range of organisations over the last three decades to deliver strategic marketing and communications. She has also worked in a voluntary capacity with the City of London division of Cancer Research UK to raise funds.

Alex has first hand experience of dealing with the consequences of a fatal road crash that resulted in the death of two close relatives. As a Trustee, she is committed to using her skillset to help RoadPeace reach people in need of support and do everything she can to promote RoadPeace’s principle of road danger reduction.

Ginny

Ginny is a Human Resources professional with almost twenty years’ generalist HR experience.  She began her career in HR in Kentucky, USA, and has extensive experience working in businesses within the charity and private sectors.

Ginny’s eldest daughter Courtney was killed instantly in December 2020 when a HGV crashed into her vehicle.  Ginny has been working with agencies to support the campaign for road safety awareness and the ripple effect it has on victims and their families.  She firmly believes that road victims should have a voice – not be treated as a statistic – and considers RoadPeace to be a strong voice for those victims, their families and the bereaved as well as lobbying to reduce road traffic collisions on our roads.