Children at Pewsey school will be safe and be seen
11:00am Friday 10th February 2012 in News
Niki Connor with Niamh, Katie, Edward, Lydia, Tom and Molly at Rushall School
Niki and Greg Connor, whose six-year-old son Finlay died after being struck by a bus in Woodborough last March, have started providing fluorescent vests to make it safer for other children walking to school.
On Tuesday Mr and Mrs Connor went to Rushall School, which their son Louis, five, attends and met children wearing the jackets provided by the Finlay Foundation, which was set up in Finlay’s memory.
They also presented more of the vests to Scouts and Cubs at Pewsey and they have more available for any schools or children’s organisations who would like some.
The family now live in Rushall but were living near Devizes at the time of the accident on March 14.
Mrs Connor spent weeks in hospital and is still receiving treatment for her injuries suffered as she was struck by the bus. Driver Adrian Shearing, 52, from Trowbridge, later admitted causing death by dangerous driving and was jailed for 28 months.
The Finlay Foundation needs a further £1,000 before it becomes a full-blown charity, explained Mr Connor. “I have just spoken to the accountant who is running the fund who said it has approximately £4,000 so far and is £1,000 short of when we can call it a registered charity and when we can reclaim Gift Aid and get donations from big charitable organisations like Vodafone and Lloyds bank.”
Mr Connor said they realised that wearing a high-vis jacket – they have so far spent more than £700 on buying a supply – would not have prevented the accident. “What we are trying to do is to prevent anything like that happening again because it has devastated our lives and they can never be the same again.”
Mrs Connor said they were contacting children’s hospices and hospitals with details of the Finlay Foundation and offering to buy toys, books or anything else their young patients need. Mrs Connor said that while the Finlay Foundation would concentrate on safety for children it was also about “making children smile”.
