This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
Listen
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.