A BATTLING 84-years-old Leigh pensioner was sick of getting soaked while waiting for a bus outside her new home.

So she organised a petition to send to the Greater Manchester Transport Authority requesting a covered stop outside the warden controlled accommodation.

This week neighbours saluted her victory.

Mrs Doris Wheale moved into Pennington House, off St Helens Road, a year ago from Edna Road, and immediately set about her task.

"I suffer from arthritis, walk with a stick and can't stand for very long. We need a bus stop with a seat outside the home, so I organised a petition and got the 49 other residents to sign it. "I sent it to Cllr Joe Clarke in Atherton, who is chairman of the transport authority, and he has done his best to get one provided, but we are still getting soaked waiting for decisions from police and highways departments.

"Buses are allowed to pick up outside the home, but we have to sit on the wall, and recently it was the last straw.

"I waited 15 minutes in pouring rain before two buses came at once. I was drowned.

"We do use Ring and Ride but we can't get them all the time, and when it is raining hard many of the residents are forced to stop in. A shelter would be a boon for us."

Cllr Clarke said: "After receiving the petition a site meeting was arranged. I believe the local authority highways department is now in agreement with the request, and the procedure now is to go into consultation with nearby residents to see if there is any objections."

"Once this has been done, if everything goes well the stop should be put in place as soon as possible."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.