PAULINE IS NAMED TOP OF THE POPS
Herne Hill School lollipop lady wins the UK Lollipop Person of the Year Award 2010
Herne Hill lollipop lady Pauline Martin has been named the UK’s favourite lollipop person after being crowned the Kwik-Fit Insurance Lollipop Person of the Year 2010.
Former football coach and lollipop lady, Pauline (67) has worked at Herne Hill School in Southwark, South East London, for seven years and has gone above and beyond the call of duty campaigning tirelessly for several years to have a zebra crossing installed outside the school on busy Herne Hill - the main route into the city.
Pauline would stop everyone passing and ask them to sign up to the petition and together with parents and staff, collected almost 1,000 names in a bid to make the road safer for the children of Herne Hill.
After a high-profile, four year campaign alongside parents and staff of Herne Hill, the new crossing was given the go-ahead and has now been in place for two years, making the walk to school safer for children and residents alike.
Pauline, who is now preparing to retire, has left a worthy legacy for the schoolchildren and community of Herne Hill in the crossing. She is well-known by parents and teachers, and is a firm favourite with the children she helps cross the road safely every day.
As winner of the prized golden lollipop, Pauline has received numerous votes of congratulations and well-wishes from a host of high profile politicians including: Boris Johnson, Mayor of London; Tessa Jowell, local MP for Dulwich and West Norwood; Nick Gibb, schools minister and Tim Loughton, children’s minister.
During her eventful career working with local schoolchildren, Pauline also received two Civic Awards from Southwark Council in her capacity as a lollipop lady and for coaching the five-a-side football team for four years - an initiative driven by the local police to keep children out of trouble. It was during this time that Pauline coached West Ham vice-captain, Scott Parker, who sent his congratulations to his former coach.
Pauline, who has been married for 47 years to her husband Peter, was overwhelmed to hear of her success after being singled out as the UK’s best lollipop person. She said: “I really am shocked to have won such a prestigious prize – I really didn’t expect it. I absolutely love working at Herne Hill School – it’s the happiest school I’ve worked at and that’s down to the teachers, parents and the children – they are all wonderful.”
The pupils of Herne Hill submitted special tributes to Pauline through the competition website www.bestlollipop.co.uk, painted pictures, wrote personal messages and class letters, and even composed a song which was performed at an assembly held to recognise her achievements at the school.
Head teacher Jane Beales said that as soon as her pupils heard about the Kwik-Fit Insurance competition they were desperate to support Pauline and got to work preparing the winning entry.
She said: “We were over the moon when we heard Pauline had been picked as the London regional winner, but when we took the call saying she had won for the whole of the UK, we just couldn’t believe it.
“Pauline is such an important part of our school community - we really don’t think the title of Kwik-Fit Insurance Lollipop Person of the Year could go to a better person. The children love her dearly as do the staff and parents – we would be lost without her.
“We will all really miss Pauline when she retires, but by winning this award she will now get the fantastic send-off she deserves.”
The search to find the UK’s favourite Lollipop person was officially launched in September 2010 by Kwik-Fit Insurance, which commissioned a UK-wide survey of more than 1,000 pupils aged between seven and 14. The results revealed that 40 per cent, or 2.2 million children, are risking their lives running across the road without looking.
The study also found that 85 percent of youngsters or 1.7 million children admitted crossing the road without using a marked crossing or lollipop person every day.
In London, 31 per cent of children said they ran across the road without checking for traffic.
In addition, 81 per cent of children in London said they crossed the roads without the help of a lollipop person or using crossings. That’s despite nearly three-quarters (71 per cent) admitting they don’t always feel confident crossing the road on their own.
Now in their eighth year, the annual awards recognise the hard work and dedication of the men and women who patrol the UK’s school crossings on a daily basis, regardless of the weather.
Presenting the award at a special assembly, June Lynch, managing director of Kwik-Fit Financial Services, said: “We received almost 10,000 entries from school children nominating their lollipop person from schools across the length and breadth of the UK. It was a close run competition with exceptional entries for the finalists in the South East and Northern Ireland, but Pauline just pipped them at the post. The effort the school children put into their nomination of Pauline has been outstanding and it was immediately clear just how much she is loved and valued by the whole of Herne Hill School.
“This competition was all about finding the lollipop people who make a real difference in their communities and who keep children safe on the roads, and Pauline is a worthy winner for the UK.”
Councillor Barrie Hargrove, cabinet member for transport, environment and recycling, said: “I am highly delighted that one of our school crossing attendants Pauline has picked up this very significant award."
As well as a unique trophy Pauline will receive a cheque for £500 which she plans to spend on buying a gift for the school before she retires, while the school will be presented with a cheque for £3,000 which they plan to spend on a friendship bench for the garden and new school equipment.
With the role of Lollipop person across the UK under threat due to the cuts in Council budgets, Kwik-Fit Insurance has launched a petition to highlight the dangerous implications for the safety of the UK's schoolchildren.
