Medal for lollipop lady Pamela

Cheshire East lollipop lady Pam Pearson has collected her British Empire Medal – awarded in recognition of her 40 years helping children get to school safely.

She received the honour in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in June and was presented with her medal by the Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire at an investiture ceremony at Tatton Park (on 7 November).

Now nearly 80, Mrs Pearson still continues her crossing patrol duties for young children attending Parkroyal Community School, Macclesfield. She has been their regular lollipop lady for nearly 35 years and says she loves every minute of it.

Even on bitterly cold mornings in winter, the grandmother of four is stopping traffic on Bond Street, a busy commuter route in the town, and is back there again in the afternoon.

Mrs Pearson said: “We have a lot of protective clothing to wear, which is good in the winter but in the summer it does get a bit hot. The drivers are usually very good but the boys on bikes sometimes ignore me.

“I was encouraged to take it up by a policeman neighbour of mine. That was more than 40 years ago.

“Receiving the medal from the Lord Lieutenant was wonderful. The whole thing was just out of this world.”

Mrs Pearson is employed by Transport Services Solutions (TSS), a Cheshire East Council wholly-owned company. Councillor Gail Wait, chair of TSS, said: “We are very honoured to have Pam at TSS. She takes such pride in her work and genuinely loves helping the children and community.

“We have some fantastic, long-serving and loyal crossing patrols but we always need more people for these fulfilling roles.”   Councillor Jos Saunders, Cheshire East Council cabinet member for children and families, said: “I congratulate Mrs Pearson on her many years of loyal service. She is clearly well-deserving of this honour.

“I echo Gail’s words – that we need more people like Mrs Pearson to come forward. The work of our school crossing patrols is extremely valuable to us and to the children and parents involved.”

Headteacher at Parkroyal Community School, Caroline Beaumont, said: “I would like to extend a huge Parkroyal thank you to Pam for the invaluable services she has `provided to our families over the years.”

The British Empire Medal was introduced by King George V in 1917 and was awarded to people who had contributed outstanding services during the war effort.  It was reintroduced as part of the Queen’s birthday celebrations in 2012.

You can find out more about how to become a school crossing patrol and road safety officer by following this link