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Circulation 10,000 No. 73 April 1988
GERRI SLIMS DOWN TO GIVE

KERRIE A LIFT UP

Staff at a local company are
backing a disabled child in her
bid to go to secondary school
with her friends. Whilst she has
been sucesslul in gaining a place
at the school of her choice, she
will be faced with the problem of An extraordinary plan to build
getting up to the first floor with the world's first underground
only her school mates to support airport near Swindon has re-
her. Her parents and friends are surfaced again after being buried
determined to make sure a lift two years ago.
can be provided so that she and The project, first reported by
other children with disablities the Swindon Evening Advertiser
can be helped. on 1st April 1986 and by The
Westlea School pupil Kerrie Link, involves the building of a
Jack suffers from a rare nervous two mile runway under fields
disease which makes going up Working for children with disabilities - left to right: Liz Johnson from alongside the M4 just to the south
and down stairs very difficult. PHH, David Jack, Gerri Keefe from PHH with Kerrie Jack, Karen of West Swindon. Aircraft will
She is keen to go to Greendown Jack and Westlea head Neil Griffiths. land by entering a huge funnel
Community School in West Kerrie's parents are happy that Gerri decided that she was going shaped tunnel at one end and the
Swindon where many of her she will be going to Greendown. to get into the dresses she had whole airport complex will be
friends will be going in September, "We were very pleased when we grown out of. "I was just getting completely enclosed by a green-
but unfortunately, the first phase recieved a letter saying she could bigger and bigger and my ward- field-covered canopy.
of Greendown was built without go," said Mrs. Karen Jack. "All robe was dissapearing. It was Finance for the multi-million
a lift. her friends are so good to Kerrie difficult at first but every day pound project two years ago
Kerrie's parents with help from at Westlea; she would lose their more PHH staff are sponsoring was to be provided by a Saudi-
Neil Griffiths, Head of Westlea support if she had to go else- me. Arabian oil-tycoon. However the
School, are setting up a trust where." "People in the company I don't fall in oil prices and instability in
fund to raise money to help "We always thought there was know have been asking me how the oil dependant Saudi economy
youngsters with disabilities. And a lift at Greendown," Said things are going. There is such a since then makes their involve-
the big fund raising effort is Kerrie's father David Jack. "As team spirit building up in our ment unlikely. it is now believed
under way over at Windmill Hill there isn't, we're going to have to new centre that I can't let down that the consortium of airlines
based company PHH Europe get one for Kerrie and the other all the people who are backing involved with the Galileo project
where section mmanager Gerri children who will follow her. It's me." at Windmill Hill Business Park
Keefe has set herself the target of going to cost about £12,000; it Communications executive Liz near Freshbrook are backing the
losing over two stone and raising will be quite an effort to raise the Johnson is keeping Gerri on revived underground project.
£500.00 in the process. money required." target. "Every Monday we hold With their world-wide computer-
Commonweal School in Old Commenting on the fund raising a ritual weigh-in and Gerri's ised booking system in West
Town was extensively adapted project, Westlea Head Neil Grif- progress is plotted on a chart on Swindon, it seems that the air-
by Wiltshire County Council fiths said, "After 8 years in the the staff notice board. This ob- lines may be looking down the
some years ago to provide the company of her peers it's import- viously creates interest amongst motorway to base their flying
necessary facilities for children ant that Kerrie continues her the staff and spurs Gem on. operations, away from the busy
with a wide range of disabilities. education with them. We have to We're going to hold a 'Guess skies around Heathrow.
However, West Swindon's former recognise the cash difficulties of Gerri's Final Weight' competi- A spokesperson for Thames-
County Councillor the late Len the Local Education Authority tion at her final weigh in. down Council's Industrial Devel-
Hobbs criticised the Council for has and they have made provi- "I hope her initiative will en- opment Unit was enthusiastic
not porviding a lift when the sion for handicapped children in courage other people, in PHH about the airport project: "It's
plans were laid before the Swindon. The trust fund we're and in the West Swindon com- imaginative, highly practical,
Education Committee in 1982, - setting up will help children with munity, to come up with their extremely exciting and will bring
because it would limit the access disabilities in West Swindon." own fund raising projects during thousands of jobs into the area.
of children with disabilities. Over at PHH Gem Keefe has the year. Wouldn't it be great if (continued on page 3)
Phase II at Greendown opening been slimming for a couple of we could get this lift in for next
in 1989 will have a lift. months. At well over 12 stone, Christmas?"