Support your local Lollipop person and nominate them for the Kwik Fit Award

10.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 7th Oct 2009

Edinburgh South Liberal Democrats Prospective Parliamentary Candidate Fred Mackintosh is calling on local people to nominate a local lollipop person for the Kwik Fit Insurance Lollipop Person of the Year award. The award, which is open to all primary schools in the UK, aims to find Britain's favourite lollipop person. The campaign launched by TV star Lorraine Kelly in London in September highlights the importance of having adequate supervision for children who have to cross roads on the way to school.

Fred Mackintosh said: "The safety of local children on roads across Edinburgh South is of paramount importance so we must make sure that we do everything possible to protect them on their way to school. Lollipop persons do a fantastic job and I feel sure that local people will want to show their support for one of our local school crossing patrols. Not only do the patrols help children cross the road safely but their highly visible presence also encourages drivers to slow down on roads around schools."

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 at the launch, "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.

Related Link:

Find out about the Best Lollipop Award.