Slow down before another child dies

Shaun, from Toothill, was 13 when he was killed last year after running out in front of a car in Corton Crescent. The road is near the Asda store at the West Swindon District Centre.

Swindon Council agreed to set up a crossing at the spot were Shaun was killed after Dawn Dolphin, a parent governor at Westlea School, collected a 2,000-signature petition calling for road safety improvements there.

Mrs Dolphin insists that the successful campaign for a crossing proves that parents and residents can make a difference.

She said: "I felt a crossing needed to be installed in Corton Crescent and I wanted to get it done. A group of us wanted to set up a road safety group for West Swindon to educate drivers and children about the dangers.

"The money isn't always there for crossings and signs but we want people to slow down automatically if they are outside a school, just because it's the right thing to do.

"People have offered us their support but the important thing is to put it into practice and drive carefully.

"As adults, it's our job to educate children, to make sure they know the dangers of roads and how they can be safe."

The group had a stand outside Asda in the West Swindon Centre at the weekend to promote its first informal meeting, being held on September 26. Members handed out road safety leaflets.

Mrs Dolphin says the reaction from the public has been positive.

The meeting, in the Ike Gladwell Suite in the Link Centre, starts at 7.30pm and is for parents and residents to talk about what the group can do.

Swindon Council road safety officer Jane Bowden said: "Setting up a group in West Swindon is a very good idea.

"We see a lot of children dashing out into the road, and there are some very dangerous roads in West Swindon, so the more we can do to educate people the better. Hopefully, this will increase awareness for parents who drop their children off outside schools that the roads are a danger to children."