Petition to 'save' lollipop lady facing redundancy receives more than 250 signatures

“CHILDREN could die without her” is the warning from parents who are campaigning to save a lollipop lady from possible redundancy as part of West Berkshire Council’s plans to cut £3m from frontline services.
A petition to ‘save’ grandmother-of-two Wendy Bird, aged 74, who is employed by the council and has been patrolling the busy Fir Tree Primary School crossing for the past 26 years, has received more than 200 signatures in the past week.
Her job is under threat owing to the council’s proposals to withdraw all of its £16,000 funding for eight school crossing patrols across the district – which would leave the schools to pick up the cost themselves or cut the service.
Last week, a devastated Wendy spoke to the Newbury Weekly News about her concerns: “My favourite part of the job is seeing those
smiling faces every morning,” she said.
“I would be really disappointed if I didn’t have that any more, but there’s not a huge amount I can do about it. If they (the council) say you have to go, then unfortunately I have to go.
“I get chocolates and cakes from the children sometimes and it’s little things like that that makes me love what I do.”
Associate headteacher at Fir Tree School, Yvonne Jackson, blasted the council’s proposals and insisted they would do everything in their power to keep her.
“We are potentially talking about children’s lives. It is not fair to weigh that up against saving £16,000 a year and I don’t think it is acceptable to ask the schools to pick up the cost,” she said.
“Wendy is an invaluable member of the school community. Not only does she ensure every child arrives safely at our door every day, she also knows virtually every child by name and her warmth and personality shines through in all weathers. We don’t want to lose her.
“We are looking at what we can do in terms of money and keeping Wendy on ourselves, but we aren’t in a position to make a final decision just yet. The school are 110 per cent behind the petition and are delighted that parents, friends and neighbours of Fir Tree have already signed it to try to save Wendy.
“She is really touched and surprised at the level of support shown by everyone.”
Parent Tracey McMillan, whose seven-year-old son Jack attends the school, told the Newbury Weekly News the impact Wendy has on the community.
“Only this morning Jack was crossing the road and tripped over. One car decided it was not going to stop and Wendy intervened and saved my boy’s life.
“If Wendy was not here there would be many more accidents and kids would be at real risk of injury and possibly even death. Everyone loves her and she has to stay.”
Another parent, Jessica Murray said: “I have Multiple Sclerosis and sometimes find it difficult to walk to school.
“The reason I trust my child to get to school safely is because of Wendy – without her we would struggle.”
Matt Lewis, who has one child at the school, said: “They are trying to save £16,000, but how much is it going to cost them to put up traffic lights or controls at the crossing? There will be a lot more accidents if Wendy goes.”
Spurcroft Primary, in Thatcham, is another school which would be affected by the proposed cuts.
The school’s headteacher, Nathan Butler-Broad, echoed the concerns about safety.
He said: “It could compromise children’s safety and could lead to parents not allowing their children to walk to school, which in turn could put more traffic on the roads around the school.
“They are more than just an important part of our community, they provide a point of contact for children and parents and someone that they can trust.
“I value their support, but the question is where else can we find the money from? We haven’t made our minds up yet and we will speak to West Berkshire Council, but it leaves us in a very difficult position.”
On the petition page, set up by parent Peter Logan, it says “Everyday our lollipop lady (who is the loveliest person anyone could meet) is there without fail everyday in wind, rain or shine, to help children and parents cross the road safely to attend school and again on the way home.
“There is a proposed redundancy, which will lead to what I and many other parents at the school believe is a very valuable asset to the council, school and it’s community of families who attend the school, at what cost is your child’s safety worth? The price of a lollipop lady/gents wage it seems.”
To ‘save’ Wendy, visit http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/west-berkshire-council-newbury-berkshire-cancel-the-2014-proposed-redundancy-of-local-lollipop-lady