Schoolboy's toll road charity boost

Twelve-year-old Will Leviseur hit on the idea to charge motorists 20p to take a shortcut along his father's farm driveway in Clunbury, near Craven Arms, after the family used the M6 toll on numerous visits to see his gran and grandad.

He dreamt up the idea after sewage works meant contractors had to close a road in the village for six weeks while they dug up the road.

Will's dad, Michael, said long diversions were put in place which meant that villagers were forced to travel miles out of their way just to get to the other end of the village.

"It was all his own idea. He made the posters and put the money pots out and checked the pots when he came home from school," he said.

"And people in the village have been really good putting their 20 pences in to the pots."

The Bedstone School pupil said: "We were the only people who could go from the bottom of the village to the top so we decided to make a toll of 20p for people to use our drive."

His mum, Debbie, said: "I think we had been on holiday and we had to pay to go on toll bridges and it occurred to him that we could make a toll road, and he said, lets do it for the air ambulance."

Will, who plays rugby for the school's under 13's team, added: "At Bedstone, where I go to school, we have had to have the air ambulance there when we play rugby and because they are saving people's lives, I thought, 'why don't we give it to them?'"

Six weeks later when the work had been completed on fixing the drains and the road was reopened, Will counted his 20 pences which amounted to £120.

He was delighted to be able to raise so much money for a worthwhile cause he has seen in action first hand.

His parents added they were extremely proud of him for thinking of others.

By Sophie Bignall