A WOMAN who has campaigned for almost two decades to improve safety on school buses is running as a Tory candidate in Newport.

Pat Harris, who started her BUSK – Belt Up School Kids – campaign in February 1993, says she wants the opportunity to change things in her home ward of Beechwood.

Ms Harris said that as a councillor she would like to see improvements to Beechwood Park, which she says has deteriorated over the last ten years.

“There’s a huge scope for using the park for an annual festival,” she said. She said she and other Tory candidates for the ward, Javin Ahmed and Omer Mian, would like to conduct a survey of the park’s users to seewhat they would like to see done there.

Ms Harris established her campaign to change seatbelt laws in 1993 after her four-yearold son was injured in an accident in a minibus that was not equipped with safety belts.

She later established a consultancy with the same name that works with schools, parents and pupils to help improve the safety of children travelling by road. BUSK has given evidence to the Welsh Assembly and the House of Commons in efforts to get the lawchanged.

● Pat Harris, Javin Ahmed and Omer Mian for the Tories are running against Cllr Hugh Clark, Cllr Jeff Evans and Cllr David Hando for the Liberal Democrats and Deb Davies, Paul Hannon and Mark Spencer for Labour.