AN ARGUS-BACKED pressure group which campaigned for all minibuses and coaches to have specially designed seatbelts for children is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

Pat Harris, who lives in Newport, contacted the South Wales Argus 25 years ago today, and set out her plan for every child on a minibus and coach across the UK to be protected by a then-new form of seatbelt.

The three-point belt, going across the lap and shoulder, is now standard, but before 1997 most minibuses and coaches did not have seatbelts at all.

Speaking to the Argus, Mrs Harris said she started to campaign after her son was injured.

“My son and two others were sharing seats designed for two people in a minibus,” she said.

“When the driver slammed on the brakes my son went flying. He hit the back of the driver’s seat and was injured. I was very angry.”

To achieve her aim of introducing three-point seatbelts she set up pressure group Belt Up School Kids (BUSK) in a bid to change the law.

And in no time at all, BUSK grew in prominence.

“We were always campaigning,” added Mrs Harris.

“Parents supported us and we started to set up branches all across the country.

“I set up a national petition and collected 160,000 signatures in 12 weeks. We kept putting pressure on the government.

“I got a reputation for being formidable.”

After years of hard work, the law was finally changed in 1997. The UK Government ruled coaches built after 1988 and all minibuses required seatbelts for children.

The following year it was changed to cover all coaches.

Twenty-five years on, Mrs Harris said it had been an “enormous task” to achieve and thanked the Argus for its support.

“I was delighted with the outcome in 1997,” she said. “The law brought in lap belts at first, not three-point seatbelts like we wanted. But I knew it would only be a matter of time before that would change.

“And it did because of continued pressure.

“The Argus was a huge help. The paper really got behind us.”

She added: “BUSK is still busy with things including driver training. And I spend time educating children on the importance of seatbelts.”