Walk in memory of teen killed by dangerous driver

Liberty Charris' family and friends will be walking from Oldbury to Dublin in her memory

A group of walkers have set off on a marathon 156-mile challenge in memory of a teenager killed by a dangerous driver at a car cruising meet.

Liberty Charris, 16, and Ben Corfield, 19, both from Dudley, died after a car struck several pedestrians gathered on the A457 Oldbury Road in Oldbury, West Midlands, on 20 November 2022.

Liberty's family and friends are walking from the site of the road traffic collision in Oldbury to Dublin to raise money for charity Live4Lib, which was founded in her memory.

The group's week-long route, which began on Saturday, will take them through Staffordshire to Shropshire, before heading to Wales and ending in Ireland on 25 October.

Tracey Charris, left, says her daughter Liberty "wanted to make everyone feel happy"

Liberty's mother, Tracy Charris, said the support the family had received was "absolutely phenomenal" and they had wanted to do something to raise awareness.

Live4Lib supports families who have experienced the loss of a child in a road traffic collision.

Following the crash, Dhiya Al Maamoury, 56, from Solihull, pleaded guilty to causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving and was jailed for more than 13 years last November.

"What happened to us should happen to no one," Mrs Charris added.

"The effect of that has affected my life in a way that I will never be the same person again. It's devastating."

Liberty Charris, 16, and Ben Corfield, 19, were killed by a dangerous driver in November 2022

The walking group's route will take them to Bridgnorth, Shrewsbury and Oswestry, as well as through Bangor and Holyhead, where they will catch a ferry to Dublin.

"The day Liberty died, she actually expressed a wish for me to drop her off at Birmingham Airport because she wanted to go and see her friend Jackie [in Dublin]," her mum explained.

Mrs Charris said her daughter, who wanted to be a radio presenter from a young age, "just wanted to make everyone feel happy".

"One of her sayings was, 'If you can make somebody smile, it's a good day,'" she said.

"If you can make somebody laugh, it's a great day.

"If you can make somebody feel loved, it's the best kind of day."