Children from schools across Liverpool heard about road danger in a joint event between RoadPeace, Liverpool Football Club (LFC) Foundation, Wirral Council and the Merseyside Road Safety Partnership (MRSP) at Anfield stadium.

The event happened in advance of World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims on Sunday, 17 November.

Students from Abbot’s Lea School, Bank View High School, City of Liverpool College, Hillside High School, St John Bosco Arts College and Woolton High School, heard RoadPeace Chair Petra Kendall-Raynor speak about the work of the charity and read out the powerful words of Joanne Colleran, whose son Bobby was just six years old when he was hit by a van in West Derby, Liverpool, on his way home from school.

Joanne launched the Bobby Colleran Trust campaigning for increased road safety and the “Slow Down for Bobby” campaign, aimed at introducing 20mph zones outside city schools.

Workshops provided by the police and fire services were also put on for the young people. Students were shown drink and drug tests given to drivers and had a chance to test their memory, coordination and reaction times using a BATAK machine.

They also took part in a quiz and wore VR goggles to help them understand what it might be like to be a passenger in a collision between a car and a tractor.

They viewed a supercar, an Alpine A110 GT, which has been loaned to Merseyside Police for a year to be used at events to spread awareness about the force’s ambition to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on the roads.

As part of the event, the group heard about the late Pauline Fielding MBE, a prolific campaigner, who gave her time as both a RoadPeace Trustee and North West Local Coordinator and had spoken previously at events with the LFC Foundation. Pauline sadly passed away last year and the room at Anfield gave a round of applause in her memory.

RoadPeace Chair, Petra Kendall-Raynor, said: “It has been an incredible day and we’re really grateful to the LFC Foundation for putting on the event at Anfield, the work of the Merseyside Road Safety Partnership and everyone who helped to make this happen.

“We hope the important message young people heard today will increase their awareness of road danger and encourage them to be safer drivers when they pass their driving tests.”

Premier League Inspires Senior Coordinator, Ryan Hardy, from the LFC Foundation said: “It’s been excellent to be part of organising the event alongside RoadPeace and other partners. It has given young people the opportunity to discuss a topic that affects them, both directly and indirectly, the work between the organisations has allowed them to gain knowledge and begin thinking about social action ideas to make a difference in their schools and community. The numbers present to hear about this topic are testament to the changes that are needed.”

Chief Inspector Steve Robinson, from Merseyside Police, said: “It was great to be hosted today by the LFC Foundation supporting Merseyside Police’s campaign to reduce the numbers of those killed and seriously injured on our roads.

“We’re working together with RoadPeace, the Merseyside Road Safety Partnership and the LFC Foundation to educate groups of young people across the region about the importance of road safety and how they can take positive steps to reduce the risk to themselves and others. Today has been a great event, well attended and shows the benefits of collaboration across a wide range of partnership associations.”

Paul Fletcher, Merseyside Road Safety Partnership Operations Coordinator, said: “We’re very happy to be here at Anfield with RoadPeace and all the partners supporting road safety with all the schools. The children have gained insight into road safety and even the younger ones are listening and taking part in all the activities we’re doing we hope
to do this again in the future and keep the important message going.”

Paul Mountford, Business and Communities Team Leader at Wirral Council, said: “As partners, we’ve been working together for a number of years to share the message about danger on our roads through sport, but this is the first event in a new format where the sole focus has been on road danger at Anfield stadium.

“The importance of the messages we’ve given can’t be underestimated.”

Updated on: 19 November 2024