FRIENDS and family of Witney schoolgirl Liberty Baker are planning to mark the first anniversary of her death by holding a festival in the town.

Lib Fest will take place on June 27 in memory of the 14-year-old from Thorney Leys, who died after a crash with a car in Curbridge Road on June 30 last year as she walked to Henry Box School.

Friends last month met at The Eagle Tavern in Witney to begin planning the festival, which will feature a 5k run and silent disco – where music is played through wireless headphones instead of out loud.

There are also set to be performances by Oxfordshire bands The Standard and Twisted State of Mind at The Leys in the town.

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It is hoped a new road safety charity can be set up in Liberty’s name that will benefit from the money raised at Lib Fest.

One of the organisers, Perry Kerslake, helped stage a balloon release event in Liberty’s memory just days after her death.

The 19-year-old youth worker knew Liberty from the time they spent at the Witney Hub youth centre. He said: “About two or three months ago a friend and I came up with some ideas.

“We got in touch with Paul and Maureen, her mum and dad, and they said they were willing for us to do it.

“We then got in touch with her aunt Michala and she is involved too.

“We are hoping to set up a charity and it will be used to raise money for road safety like putting up signs and so on.

“It is also a celebration of Liberty’s life and I think she would have enjoyed it herself.”

Mr Kerslake and the other organisers plan to stage a 5k run around the town, finishing at The Leys where there will be refreshments, a bouncy castle and climbing wall.

Liberty’s aunt Michala Matthewson has offered input from the point of view of the schoolgirl’s family.

She said: “I think it is the sort of thing Liberty would have liked.

“She loved her music, it was one of her big passions in life, and she liked hanging out with her friends.

“We are hoping to keep her memory alive.

“There are some fantastic people out there and I am more than happy to try to support them.”

Robert Blackwell, 19, of Hayway Lane, Weald, near Bampton, has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving and is due to appear at Oxford Crown Court for a plea and case management hearing on March 6.

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