This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Top of the Lollipops
09/12/2003
First Minister Jack McConnell today
presented Hugh Smith with Scotland's Best Lollipop Person
award.
Hugh is Lollipop man at Underbank
Primary School in Crossford, Carluke, South
Lanarkshire.
The 68-year-old beat stiff competition
to win the inaugural prize which attracted thousands of
nominations from pupils, teachers and local people across
Scotland.
The award has been established to mark
the 50
th anniversary of the introduction of school
crossing patrols in Scotland.
The First
Minister said:
"Hugh is a worthy winner of the
first-ever award for Scotland's Best Lollipop Person. Not
only does he ensure Underbank's schoolchildren are safe,
but he does it with a smile that brightens up the morning.
He also
helps out in the school with things like
teaching the children to ride bikes.
"Scotland's lollipop men and women do
a fantastic job from which the whole of Scotland benefits.
Thanks to their efforts, pupils can walk and cycle to their
classes safely. This is good for their learning and it
helps keep children fit and healthy.
"On the 50
th anniversary of lollipop men and women in
Scotland, it is a great idea to recognise local heroes like
Hugh. Their work is especially important on the dark
mornings in the run up to Christmas and I'm sure children,
pupils and teachers will thank their own lollipop men and
women in their own way before the Christmas holidays."
Scotland's Best
Lollipop Person award has been established by Kwik-Fit
insurance. The win means Hugh has cause for a double
celebration - he and his wife Cathy have just reached
their Ruby wedding anniversary.
He said:
"It's a real honour to receive this
award. Having spent the last five years at Underbank school
I've built up a great rapport with the children, teachers
and parents alike. It's a joy to turn up to work each day -
I don't think many people can say that!"
Norma Duncan, head teacher at
Underbank Primary School, said:
"Hugh is a well-loved personality in
the village and a real favourite with the pupils. His
duties extend far beyond that of a patrolman and for that
we believe he is irreplaceable. We can see why Hugh has
come out top of the pops."
Martin Oliver, managing director at
KFIS, said:
"We launched the search to offer some
well-deserved recognition to school patrollers who ensure
the safety of school children on the roads every day.
"We received a staggering 2334
nominations which goes to show just how important these men
and women are and the valuable role they play within
communities Scotland-wide.
"We are planning this as an annual
event so that lollipop men and women across the country can
receive the recognition they deserve."
An overall total of £27 million is being made
available for local authorities acrossScotlandover three years, from 2003-04 to 2005-06, to back
the introduction of more 20 mph traffic zones, inmprove
safe routes to schools and support street safety awareness
programmes.
Child casualties in Scotland reached a
peak in 1972, when 111 children were killed and 2,258 were
seriously injured. In 2002, 14 children were killed and
2,220 were injured (511 seriously) in road accidents in
Scotland, the lowest figures since separate recording
began.
The Scottish government has set a
target for a reduction of 50% in child road accident deaths
and serious injuries by 2010, compared with the average for
1994-98.
The School Patrol Act of 1953 enabled
uniformed patrols to operate throughout the country. In
that year there were 797 child fatalities on the UK roads.
Tufty, the popular road safety character who taught a
generation of children to stop, look and listen before
crossing the road was also created in 1953.