Lollipop lady’s 25 years serving the community
A lollipop lady who has helped two generations of Midhurst residents to get to school has been thanked for her 25 years of service.
Jane Hooper, who has received a letter of thanks from the mayor of Chichester for her service to Midhurst CE Primary School pupils and other pedestrians, said: “I’m very proud to have been part of the community for so long and am now crossing a second generation of children.
“The best thing about the job is seeing the little ones on their first day at school and watching them grow and develop. Not much has changed in the 25 years but safety and awareness are even more relevant now with the volume of traffic on today’s roads.”
Jane also works at a care home and said she was very lucky that her employers, past and present, had recognised the importance of her school crossing patrol role in the community and allowed her to fit it in around her other working commitments. Originally from Petworth, Jane moved to Midhurst in 1982 after a short period living in the north of the country. She has a son plus two granddaughters and a step-grandson who cross with her on the way to and from school. Jane’s line manager, assistant area school crossing patrol co-ordinator Sue Madden, said: “Jane obviously loves her job. During the first lockdown, when children were still attending school, she insisted on continuing with her patrol, even though she was in a vulnerable group. School crossing patrols sometimes face fast-moving traffic, poor weather conditions, occasionally irate drivers, but are there for the children’s and other pedestrians’ safety and are so much part of the community– the children love to see here very school day.”
Sally Clarke, headteacher, said: “Congratulations to Jane – 25 years of crossing children from Midhurst Primary is an incredible achievement – many of our current parents remember Jane from their own school days.”