SHARON HODGSON MP BACKS SEARCH FOR UK’S TOP LOLLIPOP PERSON
            
Sharon Hodgson MP has backed a UK campaign highlighting the importance of school crossing patrols, and says that schools in Gateshead and Washington should recognise the role that lollipop people play in local road safety.
 
The Kwik Fit Insurance Lollipop Person of the Year campaign, which is open to all primary schools in the UK, aims to find Britain’s favourite lollipop person.  Mrs Hodgson has written to her local schools encouraging them to nominate in the North East category.

 
The campaign, launched by TV star Lorraine Kelly in London, also highlights the importance of having adequate supervision for children who have to cross roads on the way to school.

Photo caption - Lorraine Kelly and Brendan Devine, group managing director of Kwik Fit Financial Services, launch the search for the UK’s best Lollipop Person - outside the Houses of Parliament in London - with the help of children from Robinsfield Infant School -  Jono, Suliat, Anita and Khaled, all age six.
 
Sharon Hodgson MP said: “The safety of children on our roads is of paramount importance so we must make sure that we do everything possible to protect them on their way to school.
 
“I’d like to see more being done to acknowledge the important work of lollipop people in my constituency, since they not only help children cross the road safely but may encourage drivers to slow down on roads around schools.

The competition will produce regional winners so I hope as many schools as possible will choose to nominate local lollipop people. ”
 
Pedestrian injury is listed as the leading cause of accidental death of children in the UK.
 
The most recent Government figures show that 1,784 child pedestrians were killed or seriously injured in 2008. In total there were 231,000 casualties on Britain’s roads in 2008, including more than 28,500 who were killed or seriously injured.

Lorraine Kelly, who has been an ambassador for the campaign for the last two years, said: “The Lollipop Person of the Year Awards is a real heart-warming way of recognising the wonderful job our lollipop people do every day to make Britain’s roads safer for our children.

“This year the competition is bigger than ever before, with schools from Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland, all having the opportunity to show how their lollipop person makes a real difference to their journey to school. We want kids, teachers and parents alike to show their support for their local lollipop person and get voting!”

The Kwik Fit Insurance Lollipop Person of the Year will win the holiday of a lifetime; their schools will receive a range of prizes including £3,000 to spend on school equipment. In addition, the competition will also announce twelve regional winners from across the UK who will also receive £500 worth of holiday vouchers and each of the 12 schools will be awarded with £100 worth of book tokens.

Nominations for the Kwik Fit Insurance Lollipop Person of the Year Awards 2009 will be taken until Friday 30 October 2009.

Brendan Devine, group managing director of Kwik Fit Financial Services, added: “We want to make sure that Britain’s children are safe on their walk to school, which means that not only do we need to have plenty of lollipop people, but it’s vitally important that motorists think about how they drive around towns and near schools.

“We are determined to help improve the UK’s road safety record for children and we think the Lollipop Person of the Year campaign is a good way to raise awareness of the important role played by lollipop people in making roads safer.”

More information and entry details can be found at www.bestlollipop.co.uk

Notes to editors:

For more information on the Kwik Fit Insurance Lollipop Person of the Year awards, please contact Michelle Holton, Bryan Garvie or Jane Robertson at The BIG Partnership on 0141 333 9585 or firstname.lastname@bigparthership.co.uk

ENDS

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Sharon Hodgson MP
House of Commons,
London SW1A 0AA

E-mail: hodgsons@parliament.uk

Constituency Office Tel. 0191 417 2000.