Every school day between the hours of 8.15am to 8.50am and 3.15am to 3.45pm, children and adults are helped across the road outside Woolton Hill Juniors by Liz Pudney, the Road Crossing Officer or as we more affectionally know her - ‘our lollipop lady’.
Each person is greeted with both a cheery ‘hello’ and a few friendly words whilst traffic is halted to allow both children and adults to cross safely. All those who have travelled along Woolton Hill Road when it is time for children to arrive or leave either of St Thomas Infants or Woolton Hill Juniors will know how busy the area becomes and is therefore dangerous, especially for children.
I asked Liz what her message to drivers in Woolton Hill would be and she said:
Slow Down,
Show Consideration,
Be Patient
Too often, unfortunately, Liz sees people going too fast, being impatient or simply lacking consideration for others. Indeed, it cannot be pleasant for children to sit in school on a wet day having been splashed.
Liz has been out in all weathers doing the job for 9 years, ever since her children were themselves at the juniors and she has a real commitment to help keep the children safe. I also know that despite having formal working hours she keeps an eye out for any children who are a little late. Liz’s work is therefore highly appreciated by the schools. Here are a few words from the Woolton Hill Junior Headteacher, Mrs Yvonne Standing:
"We are very lucky to have such a dedicated person in charge of our road crossing. Liz does an amazing job keeping our children and their families safe crossing the road every day. She is a real asset to our local community and we are very thankful to have her."
Below are from some lovely words from the children at St Thomas Infants.
There is though much more to Liz than just a committed lollypop lady. Whilst I was chatting to Liz about her crossing duties, one of her friends started to say ‘did you know Liz does …. and ….. and ….’. Suddenly, I realised that I was talking to quite a remarkable lady.
Liz is a very active runner (including marathons), distance cyclist (including competitive time trials) and also competes in open water swimming where she has quite recently represented GB for her age group at the European Championships in Slovenia.
We were talking on quite a cold afternoon and I asked Liz whether she had done any of these activities earlier that day. I was expecting the answer ‘jogging’ or ‘cycling’. Instead, Liz told me she was in training to swim the English Channel in late August. ‘So, at which pool do you train for this?’ I asked. However, I was in for a surprise with the response, ‘Well, I do 7k distance swims at Northcroft but, oh no, today I was swimming in the Thames’. ‘Goodness’, I said, ‘how cold was the water?’ ‘Just 2 degrees but it is perfect for training as, if I can swim in that temperature, I should be ok in the channel in August’. And no, a wetsuit isn’t allowed.
After work Liz puts her swimming knowledge to good use and is an instructor based at Northcroft. I cannot imagine there is much spare time left but Liz is part of the local Age Concern team, regularly visiting a lady in Woolton Hill and is also a volunteer for RSPCA undertaking home visits to help determine whether a particular cat or dog will settle ok.
So, when you walk by Liz or drive past the Junior School when she is on duty, do remember to give this inspirational lady a wave and perhaps pass on some encouragement for that channel swim!
