• Alison Hammond and Churchill Insurance celebrate the vital role of Lollipoppers across the UK with the Lollipopper of the Year Awards 2016
• To coincide with National Lollipopper Day, 29th November, the five award winners have been announced, as well as the highly commended runners up
   

29th November 2016 – Today marks the first National Lollipopper Day to celebrate the amazing Lollipop men and woman across the UK. To coincide with this special day, Churchill Insurance has announced the winners of its inaugural National Lollipopper Awards, honouring the hard working Lollipop men and women keeping children safe on the school run. 

Alison Hammond opened the nominations last week, giving parents and children across the country the chance to tell Churchill why their local Lollipopper should win one of four special awards:

Over and Above – the dedicated Lollipopper that goes beyond the call of duty to help children, parents, their school and the local community

Bravest – for the Lollipopper that has shown courage and bravery on the crossing – Super Lollipopper! 

Entertainer – for the Lollipopper that always puts a smile on everyone's face – the life and soul of the crossing

Kindest – for the Lollipopper with the biggest heart – generous, kind, caring and always on the crossing with a smile!

After a tough decision by Churchill's expert judging panel; Alison Hammond, Churchie, Mike Bristow from road safety charity Brake, Emma Williams executive director at PTA UK and Carrie Longton co-founder of Mumsnet, the winners and highly commended shortlisted Lollipoppers have been announced.

Over and Above – The Winner of the award goes to Bettie Ealand from Tewkesbury CE Primary School in Gloucestershire. The highly commended Lollipoppers in the category were Patricia Lunney, Linda Robertson and Sarah Gabriel.

Bravest – The Winner of the award goes to Elaine Hockley from St. George's Bickley CE Primary School in Bromley, London. The highly commended Lollipopper in the category was Samantha Martin.

Entertainer – The Winner of the award goes to Herbie Lloyd from Battling Brook Primary School in Hinckey, Leicester. The highly commended Lollipoppers in the category were Carole Stokes and Sharon Salter.

Kindest – The Winner of the award goes to Linda Robertson from Morley Newlands Academy in Leeds. The highly commended Lollipoppers in the category were Martin Smith and Carole Stokes.

Each of the four category winners received a bespoke Churchill Lollipopper Awards trophy to mark their achievement as well as a £500 holiday voucher to treat themselves to a well-deserved break during the upcoming school holidays.

On the winners, Alison Hammond said: "It's been a difficult decision to choose the overall category winners, as we had such a fantastic response from parents and children all keen to celebrate their hardworking Lollipoppers. I wish we could reward all of them for the time and effort they put into keeping our children safe on the school run!"

The fifth and most prestigious title up for grabs was the Lollipopper of the Year, won by Carole Stokes from Barwell Infant School in Leicester.The celebrated Lollipopper was chosen from the shortlist of highly commended Lollipoppers. This week Alison Hammond and the school children of Barwell Infant School surprised Carole whilst at work.

Alison said, "Surprising Carole whilst at work was such a blast. It was so hard to choose the overall Lollipopper of the Year, as there were so many fantastic entries, but Carole stood out as a real star and pillar of the local community. The children and I were very excited to be able to reward her and it's so fantastic to see the love and support she receives from the school and parents. It was such an emotional morning!"

Carole Stokes has worked as a Lollipopper for two and a half years and described receiving the honour: "Wow! I feel very privileged to have been nominated by the wonderful children and families of Barwell and it's so touching to have won!" her favourite part of being a Lollipopper is seeing all the children each morning and getting to know the parents, she states that, "Every day is special!"

Head Teacher Mrs. Sarah Carey of Barwell Infant School describes Carole as someone who "brightens up everybody's day each and every day with her smile, cheer and of course her 'Flip Flops' and bright pink hair!!! Whatever the weather her love and care for the children and the whole Barwell community shines through."

The National Lollipopper Awards are part of Churchill Insurance's drive to improve safety on the school crossing by deploying more of the iconic crossing wardens. The campaign follows research by Road Safety Analysis in 2016 that over half (55%) of accidental child pedestrian casualties occur during the school run.

Lucy Brooksbank, head of marketing at Churchill, said; "The Churchill Lollipopper of the Year awards have been a huge success with over hundreds of nominations flooding in from across the country. We hope this will help highlight the value Lollipoppers bring to our communities and the hard work these incredible people do.”

To support Churchill's Lollipopper camping and find out how you can become a Lollipopper, please visit: www.churchill.com/lollipoppers/awards

Share the Lollipopper love on Twitter and Facebook by following @ChurchillTheDog and using #Lollipoppers or on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ChurchillTheDog

 

                                                       ENDS 

For more information and any media enquiries please contact the Churchill team at Frank PR: [email protected] / 020 7693 6999

Notes to editors:

The Judging Panel:

Alison Hammond

Lucy Brooksbank – head of marketing, Churchill Insurance

Mike Bristow – road safety charity, Brake

Emma Williams – executive director, PTA UK

Carrie Longton – co-founder, Mumsnet

The Award Categories:

• Over and Above – The dedicated Lollipopper that goes beyond the call of duty to help children, parents, their school and the local community
• Bravest – For the Lollipopper that has shown courage and bravery on the crossing – Super Lollipopper! 
• Entertainer – For the Lollipopper that always puts a smile on everyone's face – the life and soul of the crossing
• Kindest – For the Lollipopper with the biggest heart – generous, kind, caring and always on the crossing with a smile! 
• Lollipopper of the Year
   

All child pedestrian casualty figures based on exclusive research between 2010 & 2014 on behalf of Churchill by Road Safety Analysis (2016).
 

Highly Commended Lollipoppers:

• Over and Above: Patricial Lunney, Linda Robertson and Sarah Gabriel
• Bravest: Samantha Martin
• Entertainer: Sharon Salter, Carole Stokes
• Kindest: Martin Smith, Linda Robertson and Carole Stokes
   

Award Winners:

• Over and Above: Bettie Ealand, Tewkesbury CE Primary School in Gloucestershire.
• Bravest: Elaine Hockley, St. George's Bickley CE Primary School in Bromley, London.
• Entertainer: Herbie Lloyd, Battling Brook Primary School in Hinckey, Leicester.
• Kindest: Linda Robertson, Morley Newlands Academy in Leeds.
• Lollipopper of the Year: Carole Stokes, Barwell Infant School in Leicester.
  
  

About Churchill

Founded in 1989, Churchill is now one of the UK's leading providers of general insurance, offering car, home, travel and pet insurance cover over the phone or on-line.

Churchill general insurance policies are underwritten by U K Insurance Limited, Registered office: The Wharf, Neville Street, Leeds LS1 4AZ. Registered in England and Wales No 1179980. U K Insurance Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. 

Churchill and UK Insurance Limited are both part of Direct Line Insurance Group plc.  

Customers can find out more about Churchill products or get a quote by calling 0300 200300 or visiting www.churchill.com

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