A message from co-founder of The Road Ahead Support Group

A message to Mayobridge GAC from Ciara Sands co-founder of The Road Ahead Support Group.

My name is Ciara Sands and I helped set up The Road Ahead Support Group in January 2020 to help support those affected by a road traffic collision after having suffered my own personal loss.
My whole world changed back in May 2018 when my partner Karl Heaney was tragically killed in a collision along the A1. Karl had just left my house after wishing me good luck for my job interview in London the next day when on his way back to Belfast he met two cars on the wrong side of the road.
We were planning on moving to London together as Karl had been accepted onto a teacher training course there and we had plans to travel further after that. All our plans and our future together was taken from us in an instance.
After Karl’s death, road safety became very important to me. I realised the minor decisions we make on the roads can have a major impact on not just our own life but on the lives of others. Many people are affected by a road traffic collision, not just those directly involved in the collision. Myself and Karl’s mother Monica Heaney joined Road Safe NI Newry Mourne and Down committee back in January 2019 to help promote road safety within our local community but we also realised there is a lack of support for those affected by road traffic collisions in this area. We set up The Road Ahead with the aim of providing both emotional and practical support to anybody affected in any way by a collision on our roads. Even though every experience is different and individual, I always found it helpful to talk to those who are in a similar situation to myself. We wanted to provide a place for people to do just that, either through our monthly group meeting or by even just sending us a private message on our Facebook page. We also hope to provide practical advice and information on financial support to those who need it.
I would like to personally thank every member of Mayobridge GAC who has taken part in the Wild Atlantic Way Charity Walk and to all those who have donated. We are absolutely honoured to be the chosen charity for this wonderful fundraiser and we would like to assure everyone that the money raised will help us to continue to provide the support to those affected by road traffic collisions.