The Bobby Colleran Trust was created following the fatal accident on 24th October 2014 of a young boy called Bobby Colleran. Bobby was on his way home from school, walking along his school road with his mum Joanne, when he was knocked over and killed. Bobby was just 6 years old.
The AXA RoadSafe Schools report 2013 highlighted the worrying number of road traffic accidents that occur on roads in the vicinity of schools. The report’s findings include evidence that:
- In 37 per cent of local school areas, at least one child sustained a road injury each year from 2006 to 2011.
- In this period, there were 85,814 child injuries on roads within a 500-metre radius of schools, the equivalent of 1,190 incidents a month.
- Outside of London, cities with more than 100 schools such as Liverpool, Nottingham, Manchester and Birmingham had the highest number of road injuries (deaths, serious injuries and slight injuries) around schools.
These statistics are alarming, particularly as they relate to children who are arguably the most vulnerable section of society and for whom the consequences of a serious road traffic accident can be far-reaching.
Schools, and their local community can make a huge difference to road safety, and this is what The Bobby Colleran Trust is aiming to improve. By working in collaboration with each other and speaking out about the need for safer road use, we can make our children’s school area and their local environment better for them to use. Safer roads encourage children and their families to feel confident and safe, and encourage families to walk and cycle to and from school, without the fear of accidents, working together to prevent such tragedies as Bobby’s death.
Since Bobby’s accident, his family have developed The Bobby Colleran Trust, and were delighted to finally be registered as a charity in September 2015. As founder members of the Trust, Bobby’s parents fought hard and dedicated themselves to improving Road Safety for all children. They have campaigned for safer roads outside all schools, and have been greatly supported by the people of Liverpool & England as all parents, teachers & people, in general, are aware of how dangerous our school runs are & all fear for our children’s safety. Our aim as a charity is to have 20mph “Bobby Zone” Outside every school in the country.
As a trust we have grown and developed our services as we have grown and developed as a charity. We are now able to offer a variety of services. These include support with Bobby Zones, school assemblies on Road Safety for Children, Superbob books, Advice and support for schools to obtain relevant safety measures using our newly created safety checklist. Free Hi Viz vests for school children, Bereavement support for children, as well as donations to organizations helping us to promote road safety and The Bobby Colleran Trust’s aims and objectives.
For further information on the services we offer and how we can help you, please email us at thebobbycollerantrustbobbysbase@outlook.com or call 0151 306 3798 or 07961 418 796.
