This is Gloucestershire: 22nd September
Lollipop Lady hit by car then accused of causing damage!
A DEDICATED lollipop lady has labelled her job a "suicide run" after being struck by a car.
Tracey Halbert, 45, was later confronted by the occupants who claimed she'd damaged the vehicle with her lollipop stick
Tracey Halbert
She has now asked for police to assist her in the future.
The mum-of-three, who lives and works in Lydney, said: "My biggest fear is that one day I'll be carried down the road on someone's bonnet.
"I call it 'suicide run' after the summer holidays, because everyone forgets the schools are back and come driving through."
The incident happened at about 3.35pm on September 19 in Hill Street, where Tracey helps children heading to and from Lydney CofE Primary School cross.
There were two youngsters with her at the time, neither of whom was hit.
She said: "I was on the kerb, right by the roadside, and had my lollipop up signalling for the traffic to stop.
"This car just didn't stop. It came straight through without even slowing down.
The Telegraph: 12th September
School Crossing Patrols face the axe to save money
Have you heard the latest playground riddle? What's yellow, goes out in all weathers and is in danger of extinction? Lollipop people
As children are back to the classroom after the summer break, there are currently about 20,000 lollipop people – or school crossing patrols, as they are formally known – in the UK. But in the wake of local government spending cuts that number might be about to drop dramatically.
A survey by The Times Educational Supplement revealed that one in four of the 60 local authorities it contacted is planning to scale back or abolish school crossing patrols to save money.
This is Wiltshire: 12th September
Lollipop Men and Women to retain their jobs despite cuts.
THEY make crossing the road safer for hundreds of children every day and now lollipop men and women across the town have been told their jobs are safe too.
With the council axe looming over services in Swindon, the Adver has had calls and letters from readers asking whether Swindon’s 15 school crossing patrols are also at risk.
Peter Greenhalgh, cabinet member for transformation, strategic planning, sustainability and transport, has reassured schools and lollipop staff that there are no plans to make any changes.
Harrow Times: 12th September
Brent Council to take decision on scrapping plans to cut school crossing patrols
PLANS to cut school crossing patrols could be scrapped in Brent following a U-turn by council leaders after concerns from parents and schools.
The Labour-led council will decide on whether to put the recommendation through at an executive meeting on September 19 following a consultation in May and June.
Provision of school crossing patrols is optional by the council.
About My Area: 5th September
Save Our Lollipop Lady Campaign Success
Save Our Lollipop Lady campaigners made £350.50 at the Family Fun Day in Towcester on Bank Holiday Monday.
'It was a great success and we had a lot of support the tombola was very popular' says Taryn Oakes. Lisa Samiotis commented 'What the event also helped with was awareness, we are in liaison with a few organisations now and hopefully they will be able to help us keep our Lollipop Lady for a long while to come'.
BBC News: 2nd September
Petitioner's want schools crossing
Nearly 1,000 people have signed a petition calling for a crossing patrol to be based outside a Stoke-on-Trent school where a 12-year-old girl was killed.
Courtney Holdcroft was hit by a bus outside the Ormiston Sir Stanley Matthews Academy school in June.
Local campaigner Roy Naylor said the school entrance was near a blind bend and a "bad junction".
The petition will be discussed by the city council at a meeting next week.
Bedford Today: 17th August
Children's lives will be lost says Lollipop Man
A LOLLIPOP man has expressed fears that children’s lives will be lost if funding for school crossing patrols is axed.
Last week we reported that Central Beds Council is now approaching local town and parish councils and businesses asking for their help with funding school crossing patrols.
Last year the authority announced it would be axing the service, but did a u-turn and saved it after protests from local communities.
Peter Leonowicz of Kings Road, Maulden, has been a lollipop man in Harlington for four years, and says if the service is axed then children’s safety will be put at risk.
Parentdish AOL: 8th August
Will our Lollipop People be greeting children in September?
They've been a much-loved feature outside schools since the 1930s. Now the threat of losing our lollipop people is uniting parents across the country.Ipswich Labour: 29th July
Prowling the streets of South London in a fluorescent tabard isn't the norm for me. I'm more at home in heels and a dress. But something so scary is in danger of happening at my son's school that my cage has been truly rattled; I've been pounding the pavements before breakfast, wearing Day-Glo and waving a giant lollipop in protest.
On June 28th there was a note in my son's book bag. It informed parents that from September 2011 local Council funding for school crossing patrols, on two hideously busy junctions, was in review.
Suffolk finally caves in on Lollipop recruitment
Despite Suffolk Tory claims in recent weeks to have reversed their decision to scrap lollipop patrols across the County, Ipswich labour councillors were still being told as recently as last week that the school crossing patrols at Foxhall Road and Hawthorn Drive would not be replaced.
Following a meeting, held yesterday, between Ipswich Borough Council leader, David Ellesmere and Suffolk County Council Leader, Mark Bee, the County has finally agreed that these two vacancies will be filled and today we have been told that the posts will be advertised. It had already been confirmed that the Sidegate Lane patrol would be replaced after an absence of almost a year.
Now that this long running saga is at an end, we hope that new crossing patrols will be operating at both sites by the start of the new school year.
Scotsman: 6th August
Lorry Driver is fined £500 for death of a Lollipop Lady
A LORRY driver who knocked down and killed a lollipop lady was fined £500 yesterday after being found guilty of careless driving.
The court heard that Ian McEwan, 66, was "devastated" by the incident in which Catherine Gibson, 59 was knocked down on a pedestrian crossing in front of a group of school children.
Goole Courier: 23rd July
Lollipop Lady's 30 years of service
A LOLLIPOP lady who loves her job has been rewarded for nearly three decades of dedicated service.Mrs Brenda Gunther has helped countless children cross the road at Parkside Primary School, on Western Road Goole, since she started 27 years ago - and has hardly had a day off in all that time
This is Grimsby: 23rd July
Lollipop man resigns over dangerous drivers
A LOLLIPOP man has resigned in protest against "dangerous" motorists who refuse to stop for him and the school children he is trying to protect.
Yesterday, Dave Bunce, 65, hung up his florescents for the final time after his frustration at motorists speeding past his stop sign became too much to bear – an offence finable of up to £1,000.
Royston News: 14th July
Crossing Protesters Take Fight to House
Protestors calling for a new school crossing on a dangerous road which almost claimed the life of a schoolboy are taking their fight to the Houses of Parliament this week.
Patryk Mamuot, who attends Tannery Drift School in Royston, suffered serious head injuries when he was in a collision with a car in Baldock Street last year.
The 8-year-old, who moved to the town from Poland four years ago, was saved by firefighters from the nearby station who rushed him to hospital.
The Record: 9th July
Careless Driving Conviction for Man Who Ran Over a Lollipop Lady
A LORRY driver was cleared yesterday of causing the death of a lollipop lady but convicted of careless driving.
Ian McEwan, 66, mowed down Catherine Gibson on a pedestrian crossing last January 14.
Catherine, 59, of Glasgow's Dennistoun, died later in hospital.
Falmouth Packet: 7th July
Calls for new Crossing after Lollipop Man accident
Calls for a new road crossing have been made after an elderly lollipop man was knocked down while trying to get schoolchildren safely across the road.CBBC: 6th July
Horrified onlookers had screamed at him to get to safety in the moments before the collision – but to no avail as the man in his 70s was knocked to the ground, banging his head on the road surface.
Kids Protest Save Lollipop Jobs
A group of children have won a campaign to save the jobs of the lollipop people near their school.Press Packer Clara and her mates from Dulwich in South East London were told their schools would lose their lollipop people - because the council needed to save money.But they weren't having any of that and they decided to organise a protest.Their three lollipop men and women are now staying, but officials have only promised to keep them for another year.EDP: 5th July
Gorleston motorist in court over Lowestoft lollipop man collision
Gregory Doggett is said to have driven into the back of school crossing patrol officer Derek Collins on the A12 Yarmouth Road because he was blinded by the sun.
During the collision on the morning of February 3 Mr Collins went onto the bonnet of Doggett’s Rover convertible and hit its windscreen.
Mr Collins suffered a large cut to his arm, a cut on his face and bruising to his legs.The Falmouth Packet: 1st July
Doggett, of the High Street, Gorleston. appeared before Lowestoft magistrates on Monday and pleaded not guilty to driving without due care and attention.
Falmouth lollipop man knocked down
A lollipop man was rushed to hospital this morning after getting knocked down near Falmouth Primary School.
Police said the man, who was in his 70s, was involved in a collision with a motorbike in Dracaena Avenue at 8.23am. This is a peak time for children walking to school and one of the busiest times for school crossing patrol staff.
Is this the end for lollipop people?
Bill, says Nicole Gosling, a mother at Southfield primary school in Acton, west London, is a blessing. In fact he's "more than that, he's vital. This is a very busy road; the bend here is really dangerous. I've got a four- and an eight-year-old. I know they can run on ahead and they'll be safe. And when the older one starts going on his own . . ."Mirror Newspaper: 20th June
Plus, interjects Maura Farrell, Bill, who's been doing the job – 90 minutes a day, £3,000 or so a year – for four years, is "such a nice cheerful man, always waving and saying hi to the kids. And they wave and say hi to him. They love him, absolutely love him. He's a part of the daily routine, a real part of this community."....
Lollipop ladies and men face axe as councils pressured by Coalition cuts Read more:
CAMPAIGNERS claim children’s lives will be in danger because lollipop ladies are being axed in the wake of the Government’s savage spending cuts.Bournemouth Echo: 18th June
The move sparked public service union Unison to launch a campaign to save school crossing patrols.
Despite clear evidence they save lives, they are not required by law and a quarter of councils are cutting their numbers. Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said: “Cutting school crossing patrols puts children’s lives at risk....
‘A child would die without crossing’
THE battle to save lollipop patrols facing the axe in Dorset has been hit by a new threat.This is Staffordshire: June 18th
More than half of the Dorset schools affected say they will not be able to pay for crossing patrols when council funding is cut next year.
Thirty two out of 56 schools questioned in a survey said they couldn’t afford to keep lollipop patrols going if Dorset County Council withdraws £200,000 in salaries.....
School's safety bid after boy hit by car
A SCHOOL is launching a campaign to stop parents parking irresponsibly outside its gates after a seven-year-old boy was knocked down.This is Staffordshire: June 16th
The youngster was crossing Arbourfield Drive to get to Eaton Park Primary when the accident happened just before 9am yesterday.....
Parents in plea for action after death of schoolgirl
CAMPAIGNERS are calling for a crossing patrol outside a school following the death of a 12-year-old pupil.Northampton Evening Telegraph: 9th June
Courtney Holdcroft died after being hit by a bus outside the Ormiston Stanley Matthews Academy in Beaconsfield Drive, Blurton on Monday evening.
We’ve saved our lollipop lady – now over to you
The Save Irchester Lollipop Lady campaign group has led the way in the fight to save the school crossing patrol service after Northamptonshire County Council announced plans to axe the service.
In a dramatic U-turn last month the authority said it would maintain a service if at least 10 local schools, parish councils or community groups would be willing to follow the Irchester group’s plans and pay for it themselves.
The Irchester group reached its funding target this week, after raising more than £1,700 and county councillor Sue Homer and Irchester Parish Council pledging to donate the rest.
Well done to campaigners in Northampton for raising funds to save their lollipop person but such fund raising takes lots of time and effort and will have to be repeated every year which is a hard thing to sustain.
Penarth Times: 21st AprilCouncil's u-turn over school crossing patrols:
FOUR school crossing patrols in the Vale of Glamorgan have been saved – including Carol Garland and David Letts on Cardiff Road, outside Dinas Powys Infants School – after a last minute U-turn by the Vale of Glamorgan Council.View Online: 31st March 2011
WEYMOUTH: MP urges action over school crossing patrols
SOUTH Dorset MP Richard Drax has been battling in Parliament to save school crossing patrols from being scrapped under county cost saving measures.He told the House of Commons that he and Mid-Dorset and North Poole colleague Annette Brooke were speaking on behalf of thousands of parents, many with children at school in remote communities.Mr Drax said that tackling road child casualties was a stated Government priority yet in Dorset in order to cut £200,000 “a tiny portion of the county council's huge budget” more than 60 lollipop wardens will go.
He pointed out that the 1954 School Crossing Patrol Order introduced the first lollipop warden but “it was never thought necessary to make their employment compulsory”.
He added: “As a result, local authorities have the power to provide lollipop wardens, but no obligation to do so.
“I argue that any transport grant made to a council should be conditional on its keeping existing school crossing patrols. I believe that local authorities should have a statutory duty to provide this excellent service.
Road Safety GB: 23rd March 2011
MPs express concern over cuts to Dorset's SCP service
Two local MPs have expressed concern about Dorset County Council’s proposed cuts to its School Crossing Patrol (SCP) service.
Annette Brooke, Lib Dem North Dorset MP, and Richard Drax, Conservative South Dorset MP, raised their concerns in an ‘adjournment debate’ about the proposed cuts, which will save the council around £200,000 but result in the loss of 65 jobs.
BBC News: 18th March 2011Annette Brooke said: “The council's total budget is about £273m, and although it had a better financial settlement than most other councils, it still has to find £31m of savings this next financial year. However, the benefits of saving £200,000 in this way are minimal compared with the wider costs placed upon communities.”
Dorset lollipop patrols 'will be saved', says councillor
Daily Telegraph: 7th March 2011
School crossing patrols victims of spending cuts
Express and Echo: 7th March 2011School crossing patrols are being axed as local authorities cut back on their road safety budgets.Road safety groups fear that this could reverse the trend which has seen deaths and injuries falling every year since 2003.Their fears were voiced in a report produced by the RAC Foundation and the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS).School crossing patrols have either been removed or are under threat in both urban and rural areas.
Crossing cuts 'put our children at risk' say boy's family
Ollie East, aged nine, was knocked over as he tried to cross the road close to Redhills Community School in Exeter.Road Safety GB: 2nd March 2011
He suffered severe bruising and was shaken by the incident.
His mother Clare Moore and step-dad Steve said there were likely to be more accidents and potentially more serious ones if cutbacks on the lollipop person role were implemented.
As previously revealed in the Echo, vacant posts are not being filled by the cash-strapped county council, as it prepares to axe £100,000 from its school crossing patrol budget
Mum's SCP fight continues
In response to the growing number of School Crossing Patrol (SCP) cuts taking place across Britain, a mother from Weymouth is extending her local campaign into a nationwide initiative.
Despite a petition carrying 10,000 names, Helen Toft says she has failed to convince Dorset County Council to reverse its decision to cut its SCP service.Staffordshire Newsletter: 24th February 2011
But Ms Toft remains determined, saying: “I am now trying to take the campaign to a higher level by joining up all the points of protest around the country and encouraging everyone to make as much noise as possible.
“If the forests can be saved by 500,000 people protesting then the children should also be given that amount of support.”
No plans to shed crossing patrols
Mike Maryon Cabinet member for highways and transport I WOULD like to respond to the grossly misleading article which was published in The Staffordshire Newsletter on Thursday, February 17.Burton News and Staffordshire News: 22nd February 2011
The story was sensationalist at its best and scaremongering at its worst.
Firstly, Staffordshire County Council will not be “slashing” any school crossing patrol officers.
The only reduction in the number of these posts will be due to retirement when the crossing point no longer meets national standard.
Driver fined for hitting lollipop lady on crossing
AN 80-YEAR-OLD pensioner has been given five points on his driving licence for running over a lollipop lady’s foot as she moved into a busy road to allow a group of schoolchildren to cross.Sky News : 18th February 2011
Rennis Till was driving his Vauxhall Vectra in Wetmore Road, Burton, on the afternoon of November 23 last year when 40-year-old lollipop lady Tracy Prescott began to move into the road outside Holy Trinity CE Primary School.
Tracy Prescott
Celia Thorpe, prosecuting at Burton Magistrates’ Court, said Mrs Prescott was at the kerbside when she saw Till’s car approaching the crossing point at 30mph.
The lollipop lady raised her stick and made eye contact with Till. She then raised her hand and noticed the car begin to brake.
After diverting her attention to the cars coming from the other direction, Mrs Prescott then felt Till’s car plough into her elbow and run over her foot – breaking bones in two places.
Suffolk Lollipop Patrols Saved - For Now
London Evening Standard: 17th February 2011Threatened lollipop patrols in Suffolk have been saved from budget cuts, at least for the next 14 months.
Protest by lollipop ladies against the proposed cuts in Suffolk
There was an outcry over proposals to scrap all 62 school crossing patrols, which would save £174,000.
They were part of the county council's plans to cut £43m from its budget.
Now, councillors said they will fund the service until Easter next year in the hope that a 'sustainable' solution can be found to keep it going.
Fate of lollipop people is poles apart
The Observer: 13th February 2011Britain's lollipop person of the year was crowned today - but her opposite number a few streets away is set to lose his job amid council cuts.As Pauline Martin collects her giant golden lollipop after being voted Kwik-Fit Insurance Lollipop Person of the Year 2010, Michael Wells is contemplating redundancy.
From Dorset to Fife, Britain's lollipop army is mobilised to fight to save jobs, and children's lives
At the march against public spending cuts in Dorchester there were no bright yellow coats in evidence but plenty of homemade stripey signs and the chant "No ifs, no buts, no lollipop cuts".BBC News: 11th February 2011
On Thursday Dorset county council is expected to pass proposals to make 500 public sector job cuts – among them every one of the 85 men and women who make up the county's school crossing patrols.
"Lollipop patrols are an easy target but they are so needed," said campaigner Helen Toft. But as the protesters, among them the singer Billy Bragg, tried to get their message across, councils across England, Wales and Scotland are already preparing to bring their axe down on the service.
Herne Hill school protest over Lambeth Lollipop Cuts
Liverpool Echo: 9th February 2011About 100 people have staged a sit-down protest in south London over plans to scrap 24 school-crossing staff.The "lollipop" men and women will lose their jobs in Lambeth unless schools pay for them, rather than the council.
Parent Emily Fielding said a child was knocked down outside St Jude's Primary in Herne Hill last year, highlighting the need for patrols for pupils.
Lambeth Council said its budget was being reduced by a third and it was being "forced" to cut services.
Liverpool lollipop lady tells of lucky escape after being mown down by a car
A LOLLIPOP lady today spoke of her determination to return to school, despite spending months in recovery after being mown down by a car.East Anglia Daily Times: 4th February 2011
Ellen Canavan was hit by a black Fiat Panda and then flung 15 feet into the air as she tried to walk children across the road outside a Merseyside school in November.
Suffolk: Lollipop man injured in collision
Police and the East of England ambulance service were called to Yarmouth Road, close to the junction of Hollingsworth Road and Gunton Church Lane, at 8.20am on Thursday following reports of a collision with a “lollipop man” who is believed to be “in his 60s.” This busy A12 road, which currently has two crossing patrol assistants ensuring children and parents can safely cross over before and after school, is the same crossing in which six-year-old Samantha Castledine was hit by a lorry and killed on her way to school in March 2007.The Shields Gazette: 3rd February 2011
Lollipop Lady Fights for Life
A LOLLIPOP lady was today fighting for her life after being hit by a car on a busy South Tyneside crossing.Dorset Echo: 29th January 2011
The 58-year-old, named locally as Eleanor Harman, was in a “critical condition” in the intensive care unit of Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary.
She suffered serious head injuries when she was struck by a Peugeot 307 while on patrol in Beach Road, South Shields.
Dorchester lollipop woman saves a child's life
A LOLLIPOP woman in Dorchester has been hailed a hero after she saved a child’s life.Times Online: 1st February - No link for this story
Three-year-old Nathan Dear was struck by a car but escaped any serious injuries thanks to quick-thinking Carol Heward who intervened.
The youngster would have run directly into the path of the passing car but Mrs Heward, who mans the school crossing at Damers Road in Dorchester, managed to pull him back.
Nathan was left with a grazed forehead but mum Sarah Mearns, 30, said the heroic actions of the lollipop lady saved her son’s life.
Getting rid of school crossing patrols - saving money, but at the cost of safety? by Sarah Ebner
The Big Society is an emblem of David Cameron’s new politics. This idea that people will work together for the greater good is something he likes to proclaim. But while it’s a positive idea, it can be used in a negative way.
Let’s take school crossing patrols. Introduced in the 1950s, these consist of men and women who help children to cross roads each morning. It’s not a glamorous job. As one mother I spoke to this morning told me, it’s “dangerous, full of huge responsibility and has to be done in all weathers.” But it’s very much needed. The incident rate for traffic accidents involving children peaks between 8am and 9am, when they are travelling to school, and again at 3pm when they leave.
This is why I’m surprised by the news that many councils across England are in the process of getting rid of their Lollipop People. I understand that they are desperate to save money, but can’t comprehend why they have chosen crossing patrols as something which isn’t crucial. Because they are, at least to the parents and headteachers who put children’s safety at the top of their agendas.
School budgets are ring-fenced for educational purposes, which means that money for those lollipop people would have to come from fund-raising (Parent Teacher Associations/the school fete) or that the job would have to be done by volunteers (here’s the big society reference – and it’s a suggestion being repeated across the country, despite the fact that this simply isn’t that easy to set up).
In Dorset, for example, school governor Helen Toft is furious about the plans to cut funding for the local school crossing patrol at Holy Trinity School in Weymouth. She helped organise a petition which she handed in to County Hall yesterday. It contained nearly 10,000 names.
“They have said that they will go on managing the school crossing patrols, as long as the community volunteers to actually do the crossings or to fund it. But we don’t have that kind of money sloshing around and I don’t understand where they think all these volunteers are going to come from,” she says. “We are talking about children’s lives here. We need them to be safe.”
The school is the largest in Dorset, with 690 pupils and three crossing patrols. It is also on the main route to the Harbour where the Olympic sailing will take place next year – meaning the roads will get even busier.
“It costs £10,000 a year to provide this,” says Helen. “And if we are supposed to get this money together ourselves, then that will be everything we could possibly raise in a year – meaning no money for anything else at the school.”
Peter Finney, Dorset County Council Cabinet member for highways and transportation, said that the county Council was facing a “severe budget reduction in the order of £48.6m over three years”. He added that all areas of the county council's services “needed” to be scrutinised and that school crossing patrols were a “discretionary service.”
“The proposal being put to the Cabinet is that discussions are undertaken with communities to see if there are alternative funding options that could help the county council maintain the service,” he added.
What’s happening in Dorset and Barnet may be happening near you. Parents handed over a petition to Suffolk County Council yesterday – amid fears that the lollipop lady outside Dale Hall Primary School is to be made redundant. There are also concerns in Norfolk, Northampton, Warrington and Wokingham, while today’s local paper in Bromley reports cuts in their services too.
Kath Hartley from the road safety charity, Brake says that they are worried about what's going on.
“We are hugely concerned about the number of cuts to school crossing patrol wardens, who provide a vital service in our communities by helping to keep children safe. Cutting back on road safety measures is a false economy as road casualties are incredibly costly. Each death on our roads costs the wider economy an estimated £1.7million - not to mention the devastation caused to families and communities. We simply cannot afford to lose these services which prevent death and serious injury to vulnerable children."
View From Here : 2nd February 2011
BRIDPORT: Protestors march to stop lollipop cuts
THOUSANDS of people have sent an impassioned message to County Hall from the school gates: save our lollipop ladies.A 9,000-signature petition was presented to council leaders ahead of crucial talks that could see 85 school crossing posts phased out in the county during the next 14 months.Dorset Echo: 31st January 2011
The high profile march saw dozens of parents and children voice their frustration at the Dorset County Council cuts that would save £200,000 but would ultimately cost lives according to demonstrators.
Weymouth Holy Trinity School pupil Poppy Case handed the petition to DCC’s vice chair, Councillor David Crowhurst, on the steps of County Hall.
9,000 Sign Up to Save Dorset Lollipop Patrols (More in the paper)
A 9,000-STRONG petition was marched to the doors of County Hall as families brought Dorchester to a standstill in their bid to save Dorset’s lollipop patrols.Dorset Echo: Have your Say: Should Dorset's lollipop patrols be axed? (vote)
A crowd of 120 mums, dads, children and grandparents were given a police escort for their protest march through the county town and are now expecting to have their voices heard against proposals to cut the funding for the service.
BBC South Today: 29th January 2011
Protest over Dorset lollipop patrol cuts (TV coverage not available online)
ITV News (Meridian, West Country): 29th January 2011Dozens of parents, schoolchildren and protesters against the cutting of 65 Dorset school crossing patrols have handed in a petition to the council.A consultation over the Dorset County Council's plans to withdraw funding for all lollipop men and women will end in March 2012.
Lollipop Cuts Protest
Families angry at plans to cut lollipop patrols across Dorset have marched to County Hall. The local authority needs to make savings of nearly 60 million pounds to balance its books and wants to stop funding patrols in a bid to claw back £200,000.Bournemouth Echo 27th January 2011
Families to march to County Hall in protest over lollipop patrols
FAMILIES will march on County Hall this Saturday in a show of strength against plans to cut lollipop patrols.This is Leicestershire 19th January 2011
Protestors carrying placards, including anxious parents from Upton, Ferndown, Christchurch and Purbeck, will make their way through Dorchester and deliver a petition to Dorset County Council vice-chairman Cllr David Crowhurst on the steps of the authority’s headquarters.
This family-friendly event, to which children are especially welcome, is the last big push to try and persuade councillors to rethink plans over school crossing patrols.
Plans to drop 20 school crossing patrols are dropped
Budget cuts considered by the ruling Labour group last week included plans to scrap all "lollipop" patrols at traffic light-controlled crossings to save money.Dorset Echo: 18th January 2011
However, in an official council announcement about the budget yesterday, the proposal had been dropped.
Extra Time for Dorset Lollipop Patrols
COUNCIL chiefs are giving lollipop patrols a stay of execution. Dorset County Council is to give communities extra time to explore how the roles might be covered in the future.It was originally proposed to stop funding for 10 of the patrols in the summer with the remaining 55 scrapped by the end of the year.But the consultation period for all school crossing patrol sites has now been extended to March 2012.
BBC News: 18th January 2011
Dorset Lollipop patrol funding cuts delayedResidents in Dorset are to be given extra time to find funding for school crossing patrols.
Dorset County Council, which is withdrawing funding for the lollipop men and women, has extended a consultation by three months.The Dorset Echo: 17th January 2011
An eight-month consultation, which is already under way, will now be extended until the end of March 2012.
MP Drax opposes Dorset County Council over lollipop patrols
SOUTH Dorset MP Richard Drax is pleading with the Tory-led county council to think again over the axing of Dorset’s lollipop patrols.The Dorset Echo: 14th January 2011
The Conservative MP waded into the debate as a campaign supported by parents and schools gathers pace.
Holy Trinity pupils join Weymouth lollipop patrol campaign
CHILDREN feel so strongly about the loss of their lollipop patrol they are taking it to the top.BBC News: 14th Janaury 2011
Pupils aged 10 and 11 from class 6P at Holy Trinity School in Weymouth have written letters to Prime Minister David Cameron asking him to act over Dorset County Council proposals to axe school crossing patrols.
Lollipop patrol lady, 79, killed by bus in Ayrshire
Dorset Echo: 13th January 2011A 79-year-old lollipop lady has died in hospital after being struck by a single decker bus in Ayr, South Ayrshire.Audrey Williams, from Coylton, Ayr, was hit by the bus in Hillfoot Road at 0855 GMT on Thursday as she returned from helping children to the other side.
Lollipop patrol cuts 'put children at risk'
PARENTS, teachers and schools in Dorset are uniting to save their lollipop men and women.Road safety GB: 12th January 2011
Dorset County Council announced plans last week to cut 65 lollipop men and women’s jobs across the county in a bid to make £200,000 in savings.
Mother campaigns to fight SCP cuts
A mother in Dorset has launched a campaign in response to the council’s decision to axe its School Crossing Patrol (SCP) service.ITV Westcountry: 12th January 2011
Helen Toft, of Weymouth, has begun a petition urging Dorset County Council to reverse its decision to cut its SCP funding.
Lollipops Under Threat
A petition's been started in Dorset to stop school crossing patrols being axed to save money. The County Council wants communities and volunteers to take over from the lollipop men and women, who help children cross roads safely.BBC News: 11th January 2011
The South Today
Heart FM: 11th January 2011
Dorset Schools to Lose Crossing Patrols
65 schools in Dorset could soon be without school crossing patrols after the County Council decided to stop paying for them
Dorset Echo: 10th January 2011
Weymouth mum's campaign to save lollipop patrols
A MUM is launching a campaign to save Dorset’s lollipop men and women.Wessex FM: 10th January 2011
Helen Toft of Weymouth says she hopes to persuade Dorset County Council to reverse its decision to axe funding for school crossing patrols.
Parent Fights Back Over Lollipop Cuts
A concerned parent from Weymouth is campaigning against the decision to make lollipop men and women redundant across Dorset.BBC News: 9th January 2011
The county council's withdrawing funding for 65 school crossing patrols to make 200 thousand pounds worth of savings and are asking schools and volunteers to pay for the service themselves.
Dorset mother's lollipop patrol petition
The Dorset Echo: 8th January 2011A Dorset mother has launched a campaign to stop the county council axing its school crossing patrols.Helen Toft, of Weymouth, has begun a petition urging Dorset County Council to reverse its decision to cut funding for the lollipop men and women.
Dorset cuts crisis: Concern over lollipop patrol losses
THERE are fears that the lives of schoolchildren will be put at risk after some of the sites to lose lollipop men and women across Dorset were revealed.Wessex FM: 7th January 2011
Lollipop Men & Women Across Dorset Being Made Redundant
Times Educational Supplement: 24th December 2010
Could Lollipop Ladies become a thing of the past?
Come rain, shine or - more topically - snow, lollipop ladies and men help tens of thousands of children make it to school safely.The Dorset Echo: 15th December 2010
But the familiar sight of crossing patrols could become a thing of the past as dozens of cash-strapped councils scale back or abolish their patrols while others replace paid workers with volunteers.
Cuts crisis: Axe poised on Dorset school crossing patrols
THERE are fears that children’s lives will be at risk if plans to axe funding for school crossing guards get the go-ahead.The Dorset Echo: 10th December 2010
Members of Dorset County Council’s cabinet will discuss transferring responsibility for lollypop patrols over to school and community volunteers at a meeting today. But school governors say the cuts will endanger pupils’ lives and increase road congestion as more parents drive their children to school.
Axing school crossing guards could cost lives, say mums
SHORT-term savings from axing paid school crossing guards could cost lives in the long run, fear mums.Daily Mail: 15th January 2010
Axing school crossing guards could cost lives, say mumsDorset County Council plans to transfer responsibility to volunteers.
Blind mum-of-three, Emelye Purser, fought a successful campaign for a lollipop lady in Blandford St Mary after being knocked over on Bournemouth Road while pushing her baby son in a buggy.She said: “It may save money, but it’s going to cost lives in the long run. It’s a tough job. Our lollipop lady is out in all weathers.
“I’m concerned by how long it would take to find volunteers. The crossing patrol is essential. Why volunteers? They deserve to be paid.”
Screaming pupils look on as truck kills lollipop lady outside primary school
A lollipop lady died after being knocked down by a lorry in front of horrified schoolchildren yesterday.
Mother-of-one Catherine Gibson, 59, was hit by the truck while on patrol near St Anne's Primary school in Gallowgate, Glasgow.
Eyewitnesses said it was snowing at the time of the accident, in Alma Street at around 8.50am.
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