A bereaved mum who lost her teenage son in a crash wants to mark what would have been his 21st birthday by raising funds in his honour and spreading awareness of road safety.
In July 2022, Aaron Bell, 18, was the passenger of a car that was travelling between Bedale and Masham on the B6268, when it lost control and smashed into a tree - killing Aaron and two other teenagers.
In March this year, Joshua Chapman was jailed for nine years and four months at Teesside Crown Court for his part in causing the death of Aaron and the two other teenagers in the car.
Now, Aaron's mum, Nicola Bell-Percy, wants to highlight the consequences that "the irresponsible and reckless actions of the driver" had on the family, and has urged more to be done to prevent further fatal collisions in the future.
Describing Aaron as "a confident and proud man", his mum noted his love for rugby, where he played for Wensleydale RUFC, cricket, where he played for North Stainley, and showing sheep, which he did at many local shows as well as the Great Yorkshire Show.
A talented sportsman, the 18-year-old had just left Bishop Burton College, where he represented them in their ACE rugby academy - he was described as "tenacious and loyal".
His mum also highlighted his "determination to succeed no matter what" - but says that she doesn't want his life to be in vain if it could prevent further families from going through what she has.
Since Aaron's death, the family have been working with the Brake charity, who deliver support to bereaved families, while also campaigning to make the roads a safer place and to make changes to protect young drivers.
Brake has supported the family through some of the most difficult and darkest days - with those from the charity still supporting Aaron's family.
According to Brake, five families will be bereaved through road crashes every single day in England, which equates to 1,700 lives lost, or, as the charity put it, enough to fill almost 11 Boeing 737 passenger jets, every year.
This figure has resonated with Nicola, who wants a change to current road safety laws "so no other families have to go through what we have had to and will have to carry with us for the rest of our lives".
Already, Nicola has written to Rishi Sunak MP in an attempt to get his support to change the law when it comes to sentencing for dangerous driving and reducing the wait time that bereaved families have to wait for their killers to be sentenced.
She also wants the support of Mr Sunak when it comes to Graduated driver licensing (GDL), which is designed to delay the issuing of a full licence.
Under the plans, it would be split into three sections: a minimum supervised learning period, an intermediate licence period that places restrictions on the newly qualified driver, and the acquisition of a full, unrestricted, driving licence available after completion of the first two stages.
She said: "The support Brake has offered us is invaluable - more needs to be done to slow down drivers.
"The actions of the driver that night have cost Aaron his life and cost us our son.
"We need to do more for our young people - at such a young age after passing their test, they don't have a concept of speed or safety.
"Cars can be weapons if used in the wrong way."
As part of honouring Aaron's memory, his family will be taking part in a series of fundraisers in September.
On Saturday, September 7, a black tie event will be taking place at the Pavilions in Harrogate that is expected to be attended by over 200 people, including an online auction with prizes up for grabs, while a 5k event in Masham will take place on Sunday, September 8, the exact day Aaron would have been 21.
Both of these events will support Brake and the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, who flew out the night of the fatal accident but, tragically, wasn't required.
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Alongside the two events, a fundraising page has been set up - with the family looking to raise as much money as possible for charity.
Already, over £600 has been raised on the page, with donations still going into the GoFundMe fundraising page.
Nicola added: "We always wanted to mark Aaron's birthday. To make this a success, and to keep Aaron's memory alive we are asking for people to support us in raising as much money as we can for our chosen charities."
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