'We're trying to make a difference' - Families come together in safer roads plea after 200 mile walk

Two families ripped apart by drink driving have come together after a 200 mile walk from Cumbria to North Yorkshire.

The walk started in St Bees in Cumbria on 14 September and ended on Thursday 26 September at Robin Hoods Bay in North Yorkshire.

The families of Zackary Blades and Karlene Warner, who were killed in County Durham in May, and Frankie Jules-Hough and her unborn daughter, who died in Bury, Greater Manchester in 2023 wanted to highlight the impact of road crimes on people's lives.

In May, Shalorna Warner was driving on the A1 with her 8-month-old son Zackary and sister Karlene when they were hit by a drunk driver who was on his phone.

Darryl Anderson, from Rotherham was jailed for 17 years in July and was banned from driving for more than 20 years.

Since then, she has launched a campaign for lifelong driving bans for drink and drug drivers.

In a horrifyingly similar incident Calvin Buckley's "life was completely shattered" when his partner and unborn child were killed by a dangerous driver.

Adil Iqbal was responsible for the deaths of Calvin's partner Frankie and her unborn daughter in a crash on the M66 in Bury, Greater Manchester on 13 May 2023.

The 22-year-old had reached speeds of up to 123mph before losing control of his father's BMW, ploughing into Ms Jules-Hough’s Skoda Fabia, which had pulled over on the hard shoulder with a tyre puncture.

Ms Jules-Hough, who was 17 weeks pregnant with her first daughter, Neeve, suffered unsurvivable brain injuries.

On Thursday 26 September, Ms Warner and her family walked the final mile of the walk along side emergency service workers.

Its hoped the walk will highlight the impact road crimes have on people's lives and on the emergency services.

Ms Warner said: "People forget about what they have to go through in times like when there is a fatal crash. It's hard enough for the families, and people forget that the emergency services do such a good job."

She added: "We love what Calvin is doing. He's really trying to make a positive out of the worst situation and it's something I aspire to do as well.

"We all want the same thing and that's to make the roads safer."

Mr Buckley said: "It's really sad and tragic but we're trying to make a difference."

Constable Alison Hoyle of North Yorkshire police said: "It massively effects the emergency services. We know the job that we're signed up to do but I don't think you know what it takes from you as a person.

"Road deaths seem to be too acceptable. If they were murders people would be up in arms about it but we need to get the message across that it is not accepted."

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