The parents of a young boy who was killed in a suspected hit-and-run just days away from his 15th birthday have started a campaign to make sure no one else has to go through what they’ve gone through.
At the end of November Adam and Kelly Parker, 43 and 44, were busy preparing for Harry’s birthday as well as Christmas.
But their lives were soon destroyed after he was hit by a car on Akers Way while walking to Nova Hreod Academy, before later dying of his injuries.
Instead of planning a birthday party, they had to plan his funeral, all while being at the centre of a large outpouring of condolences from the Swindon community.
But while they still some to terms with their loss, they are now looking to launch the ‘Get Harry Home Safely’ campaign.
The couple aims to change speed limits on busy roads around schools, plans to look at making the routes that specific community’s children take to get to school safer, and are conducting meetings with local authorities like the police and council to talk about the next steps.
“Harry always protected people. So we need to do the same,” said Harry's father Adam.
“This is what’s next, it is something to focus on and it’s something to make sure that Harry’s memory lives on, as well as making it safe for other children like him.
“They’re our future and we need to keep them safe so things like this don’t happen ever again.”
As well as a welcome distraction, they hope it will help ensure no other parents lose a child because of dangerous roads.
Swindon Borough Council has announced Nova Hreod Academy is included in the next round of its ongoing School Safety Environment Zones rollout, with two flashing 20mph signs set to be installed.
But the Parkers believe that all roads outside schools such as Akers Way should be 20mph all of the time, not just during typical school hours.
To begin with, the campaign aims to identify schools with problem roads and risk assess them to make them look better.
“Nova Hreod doesn’t even look like a school," said Adam.
“We want to make it look like one, we want it to be 20mph, we want to put multi-coloured bits on the tarmac, we want to put in speed bumps.
"My ideal scenario would be what they have in some places, which is a gate that physically closes while children are crossing, so cars have to stop.”
Harry's mother Kelly said: “It’s no use just putting a speed limit and just leaving it there. There’s a speed limit on Akers Way now and people don’t stick to it.
“These things need to be properly enforced. There should be speed cameras put up and there needs to be fines and strong punishments for people who speed near a school.”
"Speed cameras are the lowest cost, for the highest effect," Adam added.
Also, part of the plans for the campaign involves going to schools and talking to children about road safety.
“There used to be adverts like the Green Cross Code Man. Now children have phones and other distractions, but you don’t see anything like those adverts anymore,” Kelly said.
"It's so important, so there should be.
"I don't want any other parent to feel the pain we're currently feeling right now. We'll never be able to have him here again and no parent should have to know what that's like."
A woman in her 50s was arrested for the suspected hit-and-run but she was released on bail shortly after.
Wiltshire Police say the investigation continues.
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