Mum's devastation after son went to school but never came home

13 March 2024 , 10:33

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Joanne Colleran at Bobby's Base which campaigns for lower speed levels (Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)

A mum was left devastated after her son went to school as usual but then never came home.

Bobby Colleran's family were supposed to be celebrating his 16th birthday today. But it is a joy they will never have. At the age of six, the youngster was hit by a van in West Derby as he made his way home from school.

He tragically died of his injuries at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool on his mum's birthday. His mum, Joanne, will never get over Bobby's death, still speaks to him and has even laid a place for him at the dinner table.

Bobby Colleran, from Huyton, was just six-years-old when he died in October 2014

Tributes were left to Bobby after his death (Liverpool Echo)

The Liverpool Echo reports she said: "I will always have four boys. We do celebrate Bobby's birthday, he is part of Christmas, our birthdays, our everyday life - and he always will be. He’s my son and he’s a brother. This is our life now and we try our best every day to get through it, but it doesn’t get easier. I just learned to breathe in and push down so I can carry on."

Bobby Colleran's story is not just one of tragedy and pain, it is also one of love, hope and resilience in the face of unimaginable grief. After his death, Joanne founded the Bobby Colleran Trust and has worked tirelessly to bring essential road safety awareness campaigns to the attention of Merseyside. It has lead to campaigns such as 'Slow Down For Bobby' which has helped save the lives of countless children.

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Joanne said: "I wanted to do something for Bobby to help him help other people and families and prevent more heartbreak. The love and warmth we receive makes me think 'wow'. It’s so perfect because that’s exactly what Bobby was. So many people across the city have taken Bobby into their hearts."

Kath Garrett joined Joanne Colleran in safety campaigning (Liverpool Echo)

Bobby's story and the work of Joanne and her family continues to move and inspire people. Kath Garrett was moved to tears after reading about Joanne's journey.

Her son, John Garrett was killed in a car crash on new year's eve in 2002 - he was just 22-years-old. John was travelling as a passenger in his friend's Audi A3 when the car left the M62 and lost control. John died at the scene as a result of his injuries.

Kath said: "John was a lovely baby. It took me eleven years to get pregnant with him and he was the only one I ever had. I cherished him. Losing him was a dreadful shock. There’s not a day goes by when I don’t miss him, when I don’t think about him. Things like John’s birthday, Mother’s Day, New Year’s Eve - they are difficult days and it’s hard to come to terms with because the loss is so sudden. All loss is tragic - to lose a mum or an uncle or a friend, but there’s something about losing a child. It seems so unfair."

Kath and Joanne with a picture of John (Liverpool Echo)

Kath is an artist and chose one of her paintings titled 'Highway to the Stars' and decided she would donate it to Bobby's Base. She added: "I thought there must be some way to help Bobby’s Trust and I wanted to give them one of my paintings."

Both women agreed to meet and share their stories and memories about their beloved sons and speak how they have coped with their tragic losses. She said: "It’s so lovely to meet Kath. Even though we’ve never met, as soon as you walked in the door I could just feel a shared connection. Sadly, she knows, we both know. What happened to us shouldn’t happen. But today I’m just so happy she came to meet us and visit Bobby’s Base."

Joanne and friend Kath experienced similar losses (Liverpool Echo)

Kath said: "When I hear Joanne talk about Bobby and her family - I feel the closeness they have. My heart goes out to you all and I’m honoured to come here. It’s such wonderful work that you’re doing here." Bobby's Base in West Derby is filled with bright colours, imaginative play spaces and reflection rooms and hopes to prevent what happened to Bobby from ever happening to anyone else. The impact the charity is evident in safety advice is displayed across Liverpool, Sefton and Knowsley - the borough where Bobby was born.

Joanne established Bobby's Base (Liverpool Echo)

A spokesperson for the local authority said: "Knowsley Council welcomes any initiative which highlights the importance of road safety, including the recently adopted Vision Zero strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries. The date which would have been Bobby’s 16th birthday is a tragic reminder of the importance of road safety. Our thoughts are with Bobby’s family at this time."

Graeme Murray