BACKING a UK campaign highlighting the importance of school crossing patrols is North East Herts MP Oliver Heald. He says schools in his constituency should recognise the role lollipop people play in local road safety. The Kwik Fit Insurance Lollipop Pe

BACKING a UK campaign highlighting the importance of school crossing patrols is North East Herts MP Oliver Heald.

He says schools in his constituency should recognise the role lollipop people play in local road safety.

The Kwik Fit Insurance Lollipop Person of the Year campaign, which is open to all primary schools in the UK, aims to find Britain's favourite lollipop person.

But the campaign, launched by TV star Lorraine Kelly in London, also highlighted the importance of having adequate supervision for children who have to cross roads on the way to school.

"The safety of children on our roads is of paramount importance so we must make sure that we do everything possible to protect them on their way to school," said Mr Heald.

"I'd like to see more being done to acknowledge the important work of lollipop people in our area, as they not only help children cross the road safely but may encourage drivers to slow down on roads around schools."

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.

Lorraine Kelly, who has been an ambassador for the campaign for the last two 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."

The Kwik Fit Insurance Lollipop Person of the Year will win the holiday of a lifetime; their school will receive a range of prizes including �3,000 to spend on school equipment. In addition, the competition will also announce 12 regional winners from across the UK who will receive �500 worth of holiday vouchers and each of the 12 schools will be awarded with �100 worth of book tokens.

Nominations for the Kwik Fit Insurance.Lollipop Person of the Year Awards 2009 will be taken until Friday, October 30.

More information and entry details can be found at www.bestlollipop.co.uk.