Pictured above: Key guests and speakers from Brake's Annual Reception (l-r) Jeff Smith, MP for Manchester Withington; bereaved road victims Mike and Joan O'Connor; Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, MP for Suffolk Coastal; chair of trustees Deborah Sleightholme; Brake CEO Ross Moorlock; Victims Commissioner Claire Waxman OBE.
Set against the dramatic backdrop of the Houses of Parliament and the river Thames, the event was hosted by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, MP for Suffolk Coastal, and attended by local transport minister and MP for Nottingham South, Lilian Greenwood and Victims’ Commissioner Clare Waxman OBE.
Brake also welcomed many key corporate partners and charity fundraisers, along with bereaved and injured road victims, representatives from roads policing and road safety campaigners.
The annual reception is a key event in the road safety calendar. It provides an opportunity to reflect on the many changes and challenges facing the road safety community and the charity sector, and to celebrate progress.
Following the last two events, which were marked by uncertainty, this year’s reception projected a sense of optimism and hope. This year, the charity’s supporters were gathered with a Road Safety Strategy in place, and backing from the transport minister. Many guests and speakers talked openly about the changes they hope to see implemented over the coming year.
Brake’s chair of the board of trustees, Deborah Sleightholme, opened proceedings by welcoming guests and celebrating how much Brake has achieved over the last year. She spoke of the importance of everybody coming together for road safety, and the many different roles we have to play.
She was followed by Riddell-Carpenter, who reiterated her support for improved road safety. She explored the road safety challenges her rural constituency faces, and told the audience how she was inspired by local 11-year-old Roman Osborne.
Roman was injured after being hit by a van outside his school in February 2025 and has gone on to campaign for safer roads in the local area. During last year’s Road Safety Week, Roman, Jenny and some of the Brake team went to Number 10 to hand deliver Roman’s letter to the Prime Minister calling for safer journeys to school for all children.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Future of Roads and MP for Nottingham South, Lilian Greenwood, made a speech about the Government's commitment to improving road safety.
Gathered on Pavillion Terrace along the river Thames, guests then heard from Greenwood, who spoke at length about the Government’s commitment to reducing road death. She talked of accountability, describing a strategy with “real teeth” and outlined the plan to achieve it through technology, more effective legislation, rigorous driver training and using the safe system approach.
She said: “Although Britain has some of the safest roads in the world, progress in road safety has stalled over the last decade or more. I give you my word that this Government is changing road safety fundamentally – not just policies but the thinking behind it.”
Greenwood went into detail about changes to the system, including the importance of appropriate language use in road safety discourse – favouring the terms ‘crash’ and ‘collision’ over ‘accident’ – to “prompt a shift in understanding”, and reflect the fact that road death and injury are not inevitable.
She also spoke about the importance of tracking progress and seeing change through the new road safety board.
Next, Mike and Joan O’Connor took to the podium. The couple, from Didsbury in South Manchester, shared their story of losing their son Liam in a road crash in 2023 when he was just 20 years old.
Together they spoke of their heartbreaking loss, the support they received from Brake, and their very challenging experience of the justice system, describing how they were retraumatised by the process at every turn. Mike paused with emotion as he recalled the unbearable experience of having to leave Liam in a morgue in Newcastle and travel back to Manchester without him, demonstrating so powerfully the devastating impact of road death on families.
Their speech moved everyone in the room, with many guests commenting on the impact of the family’s lived experience.
Brake’s CEO Ross Moorlock spoke proudly of the work Brake does, and how far the charity has come in recent years. Back in 2019, there were just five members of staff in Brake’s National Road Victim Service, helping 400 families a year with emotional and practical support following a crash, all remote and provided by phone.
He spoke of the years that followed, the Covid pandemic, the cost of living and changes to the charity sector, including the loss of some charities and services entirely. He also spoke openly about the complete withdrawal of central government funding across England and Wales for the last three years. Today, Brake supports more than 2,000 families a year, with around 50 paid staff and specialist caseworkers providing local, face-to-face support across England, Scotland and Wales.
In his address, Moorlock celebrated Brake’s ambitions and achievements, particularly in leading high-quality standards of specialist care for road victims. He celebrated the Government’s ambitious Road Safety Strategy but also took the opportunity to call for more consistent support for road victims, calling the lack of central funding for road victims a “moral issue”.
He said: “It’s about recognising that road victims are not second-class victims, and that they deserve the same consistency and quality of support as any other victim group. It’s about truly delivering a Safe System - one that doesn’t stop at prevention but is there for people when the worst happens.
“What we need now is not just to protect what has been created, but to build on it - to strengthen it, to expand it, and to ensure that every family, whoever they are and wherever they live, can access the same level of care and support when they need it most.”
The event took place on the Terrace Pavillion in the House of Commons, set on the banks of the river Thames.
The beautiful summer’s day in London was not without drama. Guests had to decamp to the historic Westminster Hall when a fire drill interrupted the proceedings! Eventually, they were returned to the terrace for canapes and drinks and the chance to network.
Brake would like to extend thanks to everyone who attended the reception and showed their continued support for the charity, with appreciation particularly to the event’s sponsors – Alderstone Solicitors, Fletchers Solicitors and Waymo.