A GRANDMOTHER'S campaign to safeguard the lives of seven Glasgow primary pupils bore fruit yesterday when she was able to buy them bus passes.
When Abbotsford Primary School was closed one year ago, pupils were promised free travel passes from their homes in the Gorbals to a new school, Cuthbertson Primary. But seven children were refused them by Glasgow City Council.
The seven were faced with a mile-long walk - crossing some of the city's busiest roads - when they returned to school on Monday, after the Easter break.
When repeated attempts to change the officials' minds failed, Mrs Betty Olson, 68, who lives in Gorbals near the children, decided to turn to the local community for help.
She raised #600 with a raffle of goods donated by local businesses and yesterday bought the pupils' bus passes to take them to Cuthbertson Primary, in Cuthbertson Street.
Mrs Olson said: ''These weans have to cross five dangerous roads but the passes mean they can now travel safely by bus, door to door.
''It also means they don't have to pay up to #5 a day in fares, which their families can't afford.''
''These councillors are going on foreign holidays. I want to know how they can do that while these weans can't get money for a bus to school,'' she added.
Pupil Gerald Mulligan, 11, said: ''We think Mrs Olson is terrific. I was scared to walk to school and my mum couldn't always pay my bus fare. Now I'm looking forward to starting school again.''
Mrs Olsen's long-term goal is to collect a further #3000 to buy bus travel for the pupils for the next five years, until they leave Cuthbertson primary.
A spokesman for Glasgow City Council referred The Herald to a statement made earlier to an evening newspaper, which said: ''Our rule is that primary children must live one mile or more away from school, compared with Scottish Office guidelines of two miles for children under eight and three miles for over-eights.
''All seven families involved live less than 1500 yards from their new school.''
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