A man whose partner died in an M66 crash is supporting a new protection fund

Calvin Buckley’s partner, Frankie Jules-Hough, was killed by a dangerous driver

Family photo Calvin Buckley holds out his hand over his partner Frankie Jules-Hough as the pair smile for a photo in front of a set of balloons indoors. — Calvin Buckley’s partner, Frankie Jules-Hough, was killed by a dangerous driver

A man whose partner and unborn child were killed by a dangerous driver has welcomed the creation of a new £1 million fund to improve road safety.

Calvin Buckley’s partner, Frankie Jules-Hough, died while she was there hit by a driver who was filming himself with his phone while driving at 200 km/h on the M66 in May 2023.

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has launched a fund aimed at reducing the number of deaths and life-changing injuries.

Buckley said the cash could help “many people and projects that need funding to make a difference and start saving lives.”

Calvin Buckley’s partner and their unborn child died on the M66 in Bury

Picture of road safety campaigner Calvin Buckley, whose partner and unborn child died on the M66 in Bury — Calvin Buckley’s partner and their unborn child died on the M66 in Bury

Buckley is now a road safety campaigner and said he wanted to help save lives “on behalf of my partner and unborn child”.

He is currently trying to start his own road safety academy. This ambition, he said, “is the only thing that gets me out of bed in the morning.”

“If I didn’t take part in the campaign, I wouldn’t have a life. Everything I had worked for, my dreams, everything was gone in an instant.”

Kate Green is Greater Manchester’s Deputy Mayor for Safer and Stronger Communities

Photo by Kate Green, Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester — Kate Green is Greater Manchester’s Deputy Mayor for Safer and Stronger Communities

The GMCA Fund is open to Safer Roads Greater Manchester Partnership partners and can be used for engineering, education, training or contracting projects.

Kate Green, the region’s deputy mayor, said she was looking for a range of ideas.

“For example, we already have Community Speed Watch, where people use devices to detect speed, download license plates and provide information to police,” she said.

Dame Sarah Storey was hit by a car while riding her bicycle near Westhoughton in 2006

Photo by Dame Sarah Storey – Active Travel Commissioner for Greater Manchester. — Dame Sarah Storey was hit by a car while riding her bicycle near Westhoughton in 2006

Dame Sarah Store is currently the Active Travel Commissioner for Greater Manchester.

In a speech about the foundation, the Paralympian said she would never forget “that feeling of terror” when she was hit by a car while cycling near Westhoughton in 2006.

“The hood of the car hit my left hip and I couldn’t help but be thrown into the roundabout,” he said.

The Joint Authority has endorsed a road safety improvement target called Vison Zero, which aims to eliminate road deaths and life-changing injuries by 2040.

In 2023, 45 people died and 754 were seriously injured on roads across Greater Manchester. In 2003, the death toll in the region was 126.