NOW CLOSED What makes a good lollipopper? Share your thoughts - £300 voucher to be won!

Our local lollipop lady is a total sweetheart. She knows almost all the children by name. She's super happy and smiley and pleasant. She encourages the children in road safety and always raises a smile. There should definitely be more like her.

They needed to have a good rapport with the children. Ours was always cheery and passed a comment as we went by. Always taught the children to respect her and say thank you.

Only grumpy when faced with dangerous idiot parking affecting her ability to do her job.

Apart from the obvious, being alert and keeping us and our children safe. A nice smile, we used to have a lovely lolliepop lady called Linda, she was so friendly we used to even take her sandwiches!

Our lollipop lady literally lives at one end of the crossing, in a lovely little bungalow with roses in bloom. She wakes up, has a cup of tea and marmalade on toast, puts on her yellow uniform and goes to work (she has said this a number of times!). She is friendly but also very firm (but fair). She's always at the crossing rain or shine to help the children cross the road safely& insists the kids fully concentrate when they cross. Some days you see her give her husband indoors a little wave. She's lovely& I completely trust her to get everyone across the road safely. She's called Karen. Thank you Karen!

Safety concious, alert and friendly

Is it me or has this competition been on for three years!!!!!

My Lollipop lady was always smiling and cheerful,knew all the children and their families and was always friendly and helpful.I remember feeling so sorry for her standing out for hours in awful weather-she had layers and layers of clothing to keep her warm.She was just a lovely person and I was lucky because my lollipop lady was my mum!!

I should add she maintains a smile and tenacity despite the thoughtless motorists who get annoyed because they have to stop!! However, her eyes do roll when she sees some of the antics parents/carers get up to in order to drive to school to collect their children and are not prepared to walk a short distance and park safely a short distance away!

My local school had lost its lollipop person (or School Crossing Patrol) for some years on the local authority's view that the school was not large enough and there was insufficient traffic passing it; over the year without one these conditions had changed radically so as a (then) teacher and staff governor at the school I held a petition and went to a council meeting to put in an application. We won! But have had to fight to keep her and to consider the danger that she often finds herself in with the much increased traffic conditions. Our next move is to lobby the council for a restructured junction so she is safer and congestion is abated. Putting forward a strong case can influence your LA and worth the effort especially where children's safety is at risk.

Good eye to detail and is traffic aware, great with young people and firm but likeable. Remembers peoples names and makes an effort to learn them.

A big smile!

Let the lollipoppers go into their schools and get known by their children....a good way if the lollipopper is mature to blend the generations. Friendly is essential.

Calm and friendly - with some authority too!

Someone very smiley that encourages the children but also takes no nonsense.
Good eyesight and hearing to watch out for stragglers and hear for ongoing traffic.

Road safety of course, but I'm sure they all have to be able to be very safe ...

...but Sandra at the school near us is always cheery whatever the weather and always has a chat with children passing by who seem a bit unwell or down. She also works in the school as a cleaner so if there is a problem with any of them she knows just where to go to sort it out.

She's lovely ❤️

Someone who knows how to smile. Is firm but fair.

The best lollipop lady was in Stokesley, North Yorkshire who was there for the children and their parents come rain or shine each day during my time there in the early nineties.

Definitely a cheerful disposition is top of my list for a lollipopper. Then authority and common sense wirh good eyesight and hearing! Someone who likes children but recognises that the drivers' need to get past is not to be ignored.

Teaches the children about road safety and know all their names!

These are the qualities that any good Lollipopper should have ...
Common Sense
Be kind
Good sense of humour
be able to relate to children
ability to command respect
be aware of dangers and unpredictability of children
be healthy
yep - that just about covers it ! ;)

When my children were at school, we had a Lolly who was marvellous. She knew the children, and they all listened to her as she was friendly but firm. She became a friend of mine. When she retired, she went back to her old home on Orkney. I am still in touch with her, and have visited her a couple of times. She still asks after my children, and my daughter's children. :-)

I remember my lollipop lady having a lovely smile and always saying" Have a good day"
A good lollipop person must be fit, cheerful and alert at all times.

An ability to balance the needs of the traffic with those of the pedestrians is paramount but who wants a grumpy lollipop person? An ability to be generally affable is important too or folks will cross somewhere else less safe.

Sadly, we don't have one any more at our local school - just a pedestrian crossing, which I have seen children ignore and dash across instead of waiting for the green man.

I'd say a good lollipopper needs to be able to stand up to any rude drivers who resent waiting - something else I;ve seen, sadly. They also need to like kids! Sounds obvious, but I remember a very grumpy lollipop man we had when I was a child - thankfully not for long. I think he decided the job wasn't for him, but as a 6 year old, it was quite disconcerting to have your 'Goof morning Mr xxxx' answered with a grunt!

We have a fantastic lollipop lady. Shes been here for years and do you know the best thing about her? She cares. She is so lovely to the children they all run to greet her and its a fantastic start to their school Morning. She is brilliant at remembering each ones names and genuinely takes an interest in what they have been up to where theyve been etc. So in my opinion a person has to want the job not need the job to stand out