GLASGOW, Scotland, Sept. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- The search to find the UK's favourite Lollipop person was officially launched by TV personality Lorraine Kelly in London (Wednesday, September 23rd).
Lorraine was joined by children from Robinsfield Infant School in St John's Wood at the iconic zebra crossing on Abbey Road made famous by the Beatles album of the same name.
The competition will highlight the important role lollipop people play every day to ensure the safety of kids on our roads in communities across Britain.
Also joining Lorraine was Brendan Devine, group managing director of Kwik Fit Financial Services, to appeal to school children across the nation to nominate their favourite lollipop person for the coveted title of Kwik Fit Insurance Lollipop Person of the Year 2009.
Now in its seventh year, the annual awards recognise the hard work and dedication of the men and woman who patrol the UK's school crossings on a daily basis, whatever the weather.
Lorraine Kelly, who has been an ambassador for the campaign for the last 2 years, said: "The Lollipop Person of the Year Awards is a real heart-warming way of recognising the wonderful job our lollipop people do every day to make Britain's roads safer for our children.
"This year the competition is bigger than ever before, with schools from Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland, all having the opportunity to show how their lollipop person makes a real difference to their journey to school. We want kids, teachers and parents alike to show their support for their local lollipop person and get voting!"
According to road safety charity Brake, four million children in England alone travel to and from school on foot every day. Pedestrian injury is listed as the leading cause of accidental death of children in the UK.
The most recent Government figures show that 1,784 child pedestrians were killed or seriously injured in 2008. In total there were 231,000 casualties on Britain's roads in 2008, including more than 28,500 who were killed or seriously injured.
The Lollipop Person of the Year Awards are supported by Brake, the UK road safety charity, and is part of an ongoing programme of road safety initiatives from Kwik Fit Insurance.
Katie Shephard, Brake spokesperson, said: "Brake knows that the role of the lollipop person is absolutely crucial to ensure that children can walk safely to and from school. Brake is delighted to work with Kwik Fit Insurance for the second year running and to endorse this fantastic, awareness-raising campaign. We wish everyone who takes part the very best of luck."
Lorraine added: "Last year we received more than 15,000 entries from primary school children across the UK, including a variety of drawings, poems and stories telling us why they love their lollipop person. We're looking to top that this year and would encourage kids to tell us why their lollipop person is the best in Britain - they could even write a song or make a video about them - whatever makes them stand out from the crowd - we want to hear about it."
Twelve regional finalists will go through to the grand final of the Lollipop Person of the Year Awards and the overall winner will be announced in December. The Lollipop Person of the Year will win a holiday of a lifetime and the winning school will be presented with 3,000 pounds Sterling to spend on school equipment.
The twelve regional winners from across the UK who will also receive 500 pounds worth of holiday vouchers and each of the 12 schools will be awarded with 100 pounds worth of book tokens.
Brendan Devine said: "We want to make sure that Britain's children are safe on their walk to school, which means that not only do we need to have plenty of lollipop people, but it's vitally important that motorists think about how they drive around towns and near schools.
"We are determined to help improve the UK's road safety record for children and we think the Lollipop Person of the Year campaign is a good way to raise awareness of the important role played by lollipop people in making roads safer.
"We're looking for individuals who really go above and beyond the call of duty to make the school journey safer for our children."
Last year's winner was lollipop lady Heather Day from St Peter's Junior and Infant School in Birstall, North Yorkshire, who was recognised for her 22 years service helping the kids of St Peter's across the road.
Nominations for the Kwik Fit Insurance Lollipop Person of the Year Awards 2009 will close on Friday, October 30, 2009.
More information and entry details can be found at www.bestlollipop.co.uk. In addition to voting online, schools throughout the UK will receive a nomination pack in the post.
Kwik Fit Financial Services was launched in 1995 and has grown to become one of the UK's leading motor insurance distributors, as well as a major presence in home insurance and other markets.
The company's award-winning call centre in Uddingston, Lanarkshire, now employs almost 1000 people, and was named top insurer (17th overall) in the Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For 2009.
Since its launch in 1995, Kwik Fit Financial Services has grown and developed into one of Scotland's most dynamic contact centres specializing in general insurance, home and car insurance.
Website: http://www.kwik-fitinsurance.com/
