Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership is inviting the public of all faiths to a service to remember those whose lives have been lost or injured on Warwickshire’s roads.  The service will take place at St Mary’s Church in Warwick at 3pm on Sunday 19 November – the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims #WDOR2023.

The one hour service is open to everyone, and is an opportunity to gather together to personally remember a loved one, friend or relative and to collectively show commitment and support for safer roads in Warwickshire.  Civic leaders, representatives from the emergency services and key road safety partners have also been invited.

The service will start promptly at 3pm with Opening Remarks from Canon Peter Holliday with the lighting of a candle and welcome from Faith Leaders.

Meera Naran MBE, a high-profile independent road safety campaigner whose son Dev Naran, eight, was killed in May 2018 on the M6’s hard shoulder will share her thoughts about ‘The Voice of the Victim’.

Chair of Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership and Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Seccombe will also share his ‘Reflections on Loss’ and the far reaching and enduring consequences of a collision.  

A reading by Canon Peter Holliday and an address by Warwickshire Police Chaplain Matthew Hopley, will be followed by a minute’s silence and the congregation will be welcomed to come up to a tree of remembrance to place a leaf to represent their loved one.

After closing remarks and blessing, The BIG Sing Choir will be performing as the service comes to a close.

Chair of Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership and Police and Crime Commissioner for Warwickshire said “The service at St Mary’s has become a poignant opportunity each year to come together and remember all those who have lost their lives on our county’s roads, or who have been affected by a serious injury collision.  It allows the whole community to show support and solidarity for those left behind to deal with the consequences.

“This year, the service also marks the 30^th anniversary of the M40 minibus crash near Warwick, that claimed the lives of 12 school children and their teacher on 18 November 1993.  It was one of the worst collisions ever seen on Warwickshire’s roads and we will be taking time to remember the victims and their families and to reflect on the ongoing sense of loss.

“The service also acts as a reminder to us that all deaths and injuries on our roads can be prevented and that we all have a responsibility to use the highway network safely. Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership has set a target of halving all road casualties in the county by 2030 and, ultimately, we want to get to a position where no-one has to suffer the devastating consequences of a loss or serious injury.”

For those unable to attend in person the service will be live streamed on Facebook . Please search @stmaryswarwick on Facebook.

A Remembrance Service ‘toolkit’ is also available on our website (https://warksroadsafety.org/warwickshireremembers/) with information and readings you can choose from to create your own service of remembrance at a time and place that suits you.

In Warwickshire we are now fortunate to have a permanent memorial for road traffic victims located in the commemorative woodland at Hartshill Hayes Country Park in North Warwickshire. The memorial offers a quiet place for people to visit throughout the year to pay tribute to family members, friends, or colleagues.

We have also created an online space for people to leave a tribute to someone they have lost in a collision.  This can be anonymous if you wish.  Please do what’s right for you. (https://warksroadsafety.org/warwickshireremembers/)    

Please follow Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership on Facebook @WarwickshireRoadSafety and Twitter @WarksRoadSafety and help us share information and advice to make our roads safer for everyone.  The hashtag #WDoR2023 is being used worldwide to support the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.

Notes for editors

In Warwickshire, during 2022, 19 people died on our roads (34 people in 2019), 236 people were seriously injured (282 in 2019) and 849 people suffered slight injuries (1164 in 2019).  Road traffic collisions are the main cause of death for 17-24 year olds.