Joyce Spencer

I shall always feel so fortunate to have been listening to my local radio station at the time when Pauline Fielding was speaking of a church service that was being held later that day, in November 1998, for road crash victims.

My son had died on 26th May after being struck by a speeding motorist whilst on a crossing on 27th April 1998.

He suffered severe injuries and remained in isolation in intensive care attached to a life support machine for 29 days, never regaining consciousness.

At that time, the bereaved did not have the support of a Police Family Liaison Officer and, as a consequence, I felt completely isolated and abandoned.

Attending the church service, I heard Pauline speak about the work of RoadPeace and their fight for justice and the changes needed in the judicial system.

At that time, the fact that a person’s life had been lost didn’t have to be mentioned during a court hearing.

At the end of the church service, I introduced myself to Pauline, who graciously listened to my story and immediately gave me the number of Brigitte Chaudhry, based in London, and the founding member of RoadPeace.

Speaking to Brigitte, she explained to me the legal procedure that followed a road death, as to the hearing in both the Coroner’s Court and the Magistrates Court.

I had been told when contacting the police that it wasn’t necessary for me to attend either of these hearings, much to my astonishment.

RoadPeace North West’s growth over the last 26 years has been driven by Pauline Fielding who has given of herself unstintingly.

We are now a family of friends who meet on a regular basis by way of our meetings and through the contact that Pauline established with Merseyside Police. As people, we are all very different but the empathy we share binds us together.