Tuesday November 25
WE are staying on the theme of road safety but unlike yesterday’s dubious idea, today’s picture shows the success of our beloved lollipop people who continue to keep our children safe.
In February 1984, Bolton West MP Tom Sackville met parents and teachers at Hart Common School in Westhoughton to discuss the threatened school crossing patrol. And the MP was given a demonstration of pupil power as children of the tiny village school demonstrated to show just how much they wanted to keep their lollipop lady.
With just over 60 children attending the Wigan Road school and only up to a dozen using the school crossing, GMC had decided to scrap the service. Angry parents and teachers slammed the decision as placing children’s lives in jeopardy with Wigan Road labelled the most dangerous in Westhoughton.
Mr Sackville met a deputation of parents at his Westhoughton surgery and was in Hart Common village to see the situation for himself. He was presented with a petition, a traffic census carried out by children and parents and saw pupils parade with their own ingeniously designed placards.
Our picture shows parents and children campaigning to save their crossing patrol.
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