Fifty not out for town’s ‘Mrs Lollipop’
Friday, 11 October 2019
Ampthill school crossing patrol officer Joyce Shaughnessy has clocked up an incredible fifty years in her role but has no plans to quit.
Said Joyce, 76:
The children all call me Mrs Lollipop as when I first meet them in reception class they can’t say my surname and then it sticks all the way through their schooling.
Seeing the children every day and seeing them grow and move up through the school system makes the job a pleasure even though I am out there in all weathers. I love doing what I do and plan on carrying on until they take me away in a box!
Staff and pupils from the town’s schools presented Joyce with bouquets of flowers and handmade cards at a ceremony at the Ampthill Day Centre in between her shifts on Dunstable Road.
Joyce and pupils from Russell Lower School
Russell Lower School finance administrator Karen Appleby remembers Joyce from her own schooldays:
She was there when I came to Ampthill, aged 13 back in 1977 and she hasn’t changed a bit. She’s always got a smile and a kind word for the children.
She also comes into school on her own time to teach the children about road safety. She’s a real treasure.
Our Executive Member for Community Services, Councillor Ian Dalgarno, said:
What a fantastic achievement! We think Joyce must be the longest serving school crossing patrol officer in the country. I’m so glad she is much loved and celebrated in Ampthill.
I’m sure generations of children, their parents and school staff are grateful to her for her amazing service. I wish her many more years in her role.