Ceremony will be held in the Lady Chapel of of the cathedral on St James’ Mount on August 31 at 2pm and five doves will be released outside to represent how many are killed each day. Tony McDonough reports
A special ceremony for those bereaved or injured as a result of road crashes will be held at Liverpool Cathedral on August 31.
Organised by RoadPeace North West, it is taking place in the Lady Chapel of of the cathedral on St James’ Mount, starting at 2pm.
People can bring flowers or a photo of the person they are remembering which can be placed in the chapel during the event.
Tyred campaign looks to prevent more unecessary tragedies – click to read
After the service, five doves will be released outside to represent the number of people killed on Britain’s roads every day.
The charity is now in its 25th Anniversary year, and this year also marks 20 years since the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.
The date also marks the anniversary of the world’s first motor vehicle death, Mary Ward in Ireland in 1869.
In the same month, Britain’s first road death also occurred, when Bridget Driscoll was killed at Crystal Palace on August 17, 1896.
The coroner at her inquest pronounced “this must never happen again” – yet since then, more than 500,000 people have been killed in crashes in Britain and the current annual global death toll is estimated at over 1.3m.
Pauline Fielding from Wirral, a trustee of RoadPeace, said: “My son Andrew was killed in a road crash caused by a driver who did not stop and who was never traced.
“Since that day, 23 years ago, I have been fighting for justice for him and to have the road where he died made safer, to help prevent others also experiencing the loss of a loved one.
“The day Andrew died changed my life and that of so many others. I was helped emotionally and practically byRoadPeace and so I urge all those bereaved or injured by road crashes, together with those who support us, to join us at the RoadPeace remembrance and raise awareness to help prevent further death and injury on our roads.”
The RoadPeace helpline number is 0845 450 0355 and further information is available from www.roadpeace.org.