My aunt Janet Slade, who has died aged 96, was a well-known character on the streets of Cambridge, the city where she lived for more than 60 years. In particular she became locally famous in her later years for spending many evenings handing out free hi-vis jackets to cyclists at the Addenbrooke’s roundabout.
Jan had begun to lose her eyesight at 70 due to macular degeneration and this made her acutely aware of the need to be seen on the roads. Her Safety at Night campaign led her to hand out more than 1,000 luminous jackets, and probably saved many lives in what is a big cycling city. All the jackets were paid for either by Jan or members of her family.
