WHEN his little nephew was knocked down and killed outside a nursery Mark Luders’ world fell apart.
But determined that other lives would not be devastated by similar road tragedies, the 28-year-old threw himself into campaign work and raising funds.
Following a successful night of fundraising in Huddersfield, Mark is now one step closer to his dream of making roads across the UK safer.
The Halifax man’s life was ripped apart in August 2006 when his nephew, two-year-old Connor Graham, was killed as he was collected from the Stepping Stones Nursery in Boothtown.
His devastated parents, Paula Luders and Neville Graham, watched in horror as the youngster – whose twin brother Corey was also there – slipped out of his mother’s grip and ran into the path of a car.
The driver was cleared of any blame, but Mark and his family launched a campaign for traffic-calming measures and a 20mph speed limit to be installed outside the nursery and nearby primary schools.
These life-saving measures have now been installed but Mark has since continued with his campaign work, joining forces with Huddersfield road safety charity Brake.
He said: “Connor was a lovely lad with a cheeky smile and because my brother-in-law was in the army I was like a father figure to him.
“When he died it devastated us. His death was the kind of thing of thing you would read about but never expect to happen to you.
“Over the last three years my life has been in turmoil but I feel motivated to carry on campaigning as road safety is a subject I feel very passionate about.”
The charity evening at the New Union Bar in Huddersfield – which included an auction of prizes donated by local businesses and Mark having his head shaved – raised hundreds of pounds for Brake as well as Yorkshire brain tumour charity Andrea’s Gift.
Every penny donated to the road safety charity will go towards its work preventing death and injury on UK roads, as well as supporting people who have been bereaved or injured by a road crash.
Mark is now planning a skydive in his nephew’s memory and has vowed to carry on his campaign work in the hope that roads outside all schools and nurseries will be made safer.
His work is supported by Connor’s family, who have since moved away from their Halifax home.
He said: “What happened to Connor ripped our lives apart but the work I have been doing for Brake helps because I know that I’m raising funds to support bereaved families across the UK and help stop tragedies happening.
“There are not enough safety measures outside schools and nurseries and no matter how much road safety you teach a young child, they still don’t understand the concept of a moving vehicle.
“So it’s imperative that the roads are made safer and drivers made aware of the need to be more careful.
“If this can only stop one person driving carelessly it can save another family a lifetime of heartache.”
