A NEWPORT community project picked up a national award for its work promoting road safety.

Duffryn Community Link has claimed top spot in the Wales Road Safety Award for the work done by people on the estate to educate youngsters and highlight the dangers of the road.

This work began in 2008 after a crash on the M4 in which five people, three from Newport, were killed in a head-on smash.

Driver Christopher Beresford, 18, and passengers, Lee Maggs, 23, and Sam Case, 19, all died in the crash in the early hours of September 17, 2007.

The couple who died in the other car, James Stafford, 69, and his wife, Bridget, 70, had been travelling home to Surrey following a holiday in Ireland.

Mr Beresford drove down the wrong side of the motorway in a bid to escape police before the crash happened near junction 24.

Since the crash, Duffryn Community Link has devoted time to visiting schools, working with Gwent Police, South Wales Fire and Rescue Service and the charity Brake, among others, to educate youngsters on the perils of irresponsible driving. This includes screening the awardwinning Gwent Police DVD Cow, which shows the consequences of texting and driving.

Bob Barry, community development officer, said the community link “felt we needed to do something” in the wake of the crash and parents and volunteers in the area have helped make the scheme a success.

He added: “This means a lot because we had young people lose their lives and I think this has been an integral part of community development here.”

Duffryn Community Link has been invited to Llandrindod Wells on March 7 where it will be presented with the award and £100.

EDITORIAL COMMENT: Great project

NEWPORT project Duffryn Community Link is to be commended for the work it has done educating local youngsters about the risks of irresponsible driving.

Duffryn Community Link which does an enormous amount of work locally is being rewarded for the specific project it has carried out in recent years to educate youngsters about road safety.

The project was launched in the wake of a terrible M4 crash in 2008 which claimed the lives of five people including young people from the Duffryn area, the direct result of a driver driving the wrong way on the motorway.

Members of the project felt something then had to be done.

They have worked with police, the fire and rescue service and others to take the message directly into local schools to educate young people.

The work done has now earned the group a national road safety award which will be presented at a special ceremony next month.

They are to be congratulated.