An MBE for Heswall's campaigning Pauline

Pauline Fielding, the Heswall mum and grandmother who has fought for better road safety ever since the death of her son in a car crash 26 years ago, has been awarded the MBE.

Pauline started campaigning after her 18-year-old son Andrew was killed on the A540 in Neston in 1994. She has described what happened:

"Andrew had been driving along the A540 when a car travelling in the opposite direction turned sharply into their path. Andrew swerved and braked to avoid it but hit the car that was travelling behind it. He was killed instantly. One friend travelling in Andrew's car escaped with minor cuts, but the other in the back seat was seriously injured.

"This was not an accident. The driver of the other car was responsible for the death of my son. He sped off but despite having a description of his car, a G registration Volvo with a dog guard and RAC sticker, the police never traced him.

"We were changed forever. Andrew's younger brothers James, 14, and Peter, 11, adored their older brother. I don't know how we all found the strength to get through. A few days after Andrew died someone gave me the number for RoadPeace, an organisation that helps victims of road traffic incidents. I didn't contact them until the day of the inquest into Andrew's death, I've always regretted that I didn't contact them earlier.

"Three months after Andrew's death, I read an article in the local paper about the dangerous junction where the crash had been. It quoted a county engineer, who said that the accident record at that junction wasn't high enough to warrant improvement. Then and there, I decided to do something about it."

Which Pauline duly did. News of her MBE comes at the end of a year in which her campaign brought success - Cheshire West and Cheshire Council agreed to improve safety measures on the road where Andrew died.

"I'm absolutely delighted. It has taken 26 years but at long last things are about to improve. Giving up was never an option.

"There was a time when I felt deflated but I have had wonderful support from family, friends and from the general public, who have encouraged me, and without them it would probably have never happened because they are the ones who have motivated me."

She added: "I know this is the sort of thing Andrew would have wanted me to do. I'm sure he would be very happy that some good had come from the terrible tragedy that happened."

Pauline is a retired teacher, a trustee of the RoadPeace charity, and co-founder of RoadPeace North West. RoadPeace gives support to other families who have lost loved ones in road accidents.

She said: "It helped us to talk to other people who had been through similar things. I will be forever thankful to those people, and I wanted to give back for the help we received."

Now 75, Pauline said the New Year Honour, given for her services to road safety, was a "shock", When the call from the Cabinet Office came to break the news of the MBE, Mrs Fielding was on a call with people needing support. Her husband David answered.

She said: "He held out the phone to me and I shook my head to say no, I can't answer it. He said, 'It's the Cabinet Office', so I decided I ought to take it."

Mrs Fielding, who has had cancer three times, says she has no intention of taking a break from her road safety work.

"There is always something that needs to be done and when I see a need, I feel if I'm in a position to do something about it then I need to do it."

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