Lollipop man’s high-five ‘ban’
PARENTS BLAST TOWN HALL DECISION TO STOP 83-YEAR-OLD’S SALUTE TO CHILDREN
CHILDREN have been banned from high-fiving their elderly lollipop man as they cross the road.
Colin Spencer has been shepherding youngsters to safety for 14 years.
The highlight of his day is high-fiving the kids as they pass.
But council bosses, concerned Colin’s friendly gesture is causing ‘a disruption,’ have stepped in.
A text to parents of children at St George’s Primary School in Heaviley, Stockport, read: “Please may we ask that children using the Bramhall Lane crossing patrol do not ‘high-five’ Colin when crossing the road. Thank you.”
Some parents – and kids – are upset by the move. They say Colin, 83, is loved by families in the area and ‘brightens up every kid’s day.’
The pensioner said: “I love the job and I love the kids. “The money’s buttons, but I do it because I love it.” Father-of-four Colin, known by the kids as ‘Lolly,’ was supervised by his manager earlier this week after the high-five ban was introduced.
He said: “I’ve been doing it for 14 years. It’s not brain surgery, that’s what I told my manager.
“But she was telling me how I need to hold my stick and that I mustn’t high-five the kids because it’s too much of a disruption.
“I can try to explain to the older ones that the council won’t let me, but the little ones wouldn’t understand.”
Dad Howie Pickering, whose two daughters go to the school, said: “It’s bureaucracy gone mad. If a child is having a bad day, it can make all the difference when they see Colin. “He really cheers them up before school. “They miss Colin when he’s not around. He really is part of the landscape.”
Amanda Woodhouse, whose four-year-old daughter Phoebe is in the reception class at the school, said: “The text made me sad. Colin and the children clearly love high-fives.
“Colin is such a lovely man. He’s always helping people and he’s brilliant with parents and kids. It’s such a shame.”
The school sent follow-up text saying high-fives could be done on the pavement, but not on the road as children cross.
A spokesperson for the school referred the M.E.N. to Stockport council.
A town hall spokeswoman said: “School crossing patrol staff are required to continually observe the road and traffic conditions to ensure the safe passage of pedestrians across the road.
“The member of school crossing patrol staff at this location has been asked to stop ‘highfiving’ and to concentrate on his core duty of ensuring highway safety.”