09-04-2025
The 10-year-old girl who really didn't want to be late for school
A crossing has been installed on a main road in Stockport after a heartfelt appeal from a schoolgirl.
Hannah, 10, wrote to her MP last year saying a crossing was badly needed in Heaton Moor so she could safely walk to the school on her own when she starts Year 6 in September.
The letter was passed on to Stockport Council who agreed and started work on the crossing on Heaton Moor Road, near the junctions with Peel Moat Road and Broomfield Road, earlier this year.
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It was this week completed with St Thomas' Primary pupil Hannah being invited down to officially turn it on.
'I sent a letter in asking about a crossing and explaining the reasons why I wanted it because normally we have to go to the crossing all the way down near Shaw Road and then it'll make me late for school" she said.
'But with these new lights it's really easy to cross and I'll be using this every day now.'
She was joined by staff and pupils who are members of the Eco Committee at her school.
Chris Silk, deputy head at St Thomas' said: 'It was an honour to be invited to 'launch' the new pedestrian crossing on Heaton Moor Road.
"It will make a massive difference to our school community by encouraging yet more active travel to our school.
"As a school, we have worked hard to reduce our impact on the environment and to educate our pupils about the benefits of active travel. Infrastructure like this crossing really supports these messages.
'I'm very proud of Hannah for taking the initiative to write to ask for this crossing as part of her Young Leaders Award. One of the aims of the award is to 'empower pupils to serve their communities' and Hannah demonstrated this by being so proactive.'
The crossing has been delivered by Stockport Council and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) with funding from the Active Travel Fund.
Coun Grace Baynham, Cabinet Member for Parks, Highways and Transport Services at the council, said: 'While plans for the crossing were already in motion as part of the council's wider commitment to sustainable travel, Hannah's letter reinforced just how important the improvements would be for local families.
'Her passion for road safety and sustainable travel brought real attention to the need for safer walking routes – and she was the perfect person to help mark the completion of the project.
'We know all about the hard work that the team at St Thomas' are doing to encourage active travel on a daily basis, including their work in setting up and maintaining a School Street.
'We're working hard to create green, more inclusive and safer neighbourhoods and one way to do this is improving our sustainable travel routes across the borough, so we can help everyone make better travel choices on a day-to-day basis.'
