Sunderland Mum awarded in New Year Honours

A Mum from Sunderland says she's thrilled to be included on the New Year Honours list - even if she did think it was a joke when she first heard.

Violet Atkinson will receive a British Empire Medal for services to road safety awareness.

Her 12-year-old son, Steven was killed in a collision in 2009 - since then, Violet has gone into schools to teach young drivers about the dangers of driving.

In November 2014, Violet spoke at the regional launch of Road Safety Week in Sunderland City Centre, and went on to compile a short film, with her family, about Steve's tragic death to educate young people about irresponsible driving.

Speaking after receiving her letter, Violet said:

"It was all to help Brake, making people aware of the roads, and then it was to help the police, to try and get people to slow down because it's not just them they're hurting, they can hurt a lot of people.

"Kids are listening - it's a shame that a lot of adults don't listen, but definitely kids are becoming more aware as they see the films and hear from the police."

The film that Violet and her family produced for the Young Driver Initiative has reached more than 1500 students in the North East.