FENLAND: Road safety campaign organiser targets charity status

ORGANISER of The Fenland Road Safety Campaign, Graham Chappell, hopes it can be given charity status to make it easier to seek corporate donations and sponsorship. Mr Chappell said he wanted to build on the success of the recent kayak marathon event which

ORGANISER of The Fenland Road Safety Campaign, Graham Chappell, hopes it can be given charity status to make it easier to seek corporate donations and sponsorship.

Mr Chappell said he wanted to build on the success of the recent kayak marathon event which had gone well beyond the initial �1,000 target and may end up close to �2,500.

He said: "Building on this success we now aim to pursue registered charity status. This will make it easier to seek corporate donations and sponsorship which could give a further important boost towards raising the funds needed to pay for installing targeted sections of safety barriers on the Sixteen foot Bank and elsewhere.

"The first section is intended to be at Bedlam Bridge at a cost of just �8,000. There is a way to go yet before we achieve this particular break through, but clearly, it really can be done, with enough goodwill and determination."

Mr Chappell is currently in negotiations with a specialist road sign manufacturer to produce a demonstration model of a proposed new water hazard sign for the Bedlam Bridge site. He says for a long time there has been no sign there at all.

Mr Chappell said: "It is hoped that this will at last prompt Cambridgeshire County Council to invest in an appropriate sign of its own for the site, and perhaps also look at improving the existing signage elsewhere on the Sixteen Foot Bank.

Mr Chappell and the Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for North East Cambs Steven Barclay are also meeting Graham Stagg, Chief Fire Officer for Cambridgeshire.

Their meeting comes after they expressed concerns about apparent delays in improving water rescue training and equipment for fire crews in the Fens. They have been invited to meet Mr Stagg to talk through the issues.