DURING the recent June by-election campaign for a new county councillor for St Teath, St Breward and Delabole, one of the hottest topics on the doorstep was the imminent withdrawal of the lollipop lady, Pam Wren, from Delabole School at the end of the summer term.

As a result of updated government guidelines, 14 schools across Cornwall were deemed to no longer meet the criteria for warranting a school crossing patrol and the service was to be withdrawn at the end of the summer term.

This was a cause of concern and anxiety to parents and staff at the school, and so Dominic Fairman, the newly elected Cornwall Councillor, approached the transport portfolio holder at County Hall and asked for a reprieve so that alternatives could be explored.

This was agreed to, along with an offer to continue to equip and maintain a school crossing patrol if the school or community could meet the wages.

Cllr Fairman said: “Since I have come into office I have been impressed with the very strong community spirit within Delabole, and it has been a relatively straightforward task to find enough financial support from local businesses to make the retention of the school crossing patrol possible.”

With 50% of the wages necessary coming from the school, this has been matched with kind donations from The Delabole Slate Company, Good Energy, The Community Fundraising Shop, Cornish Insurance, the Spar shop, The Bettle & Chisel and Western Supply.

Headteacher, Sue Cox, said: “Delabole School is so much more than just the staff and pupils in it. It truly is a community school, and over the past year, our wider community have shown their support in more ways than I could have imagined.

“We are delighted that our village has worked together to ensure that our children and families remain safe as they cross the very busy high street, and we extend our heartfelt gratitude to our local organisations. This community is helping us to shape the safe, vibrant school that it deserves.”

A Good Energy spokesperson said: “Good Energy is committed to investing in those communities close to our generation farms and it’s fantastic to see that, with community support, Delabole School is now able to keep their school crossing patrol. Staff and parents can rest assured knowing that their children’s safety will remain protected.”

George Hamilton, managing director of The Delabole Slate Company said: “When Dominic called to discuss his ‘save the Delabole lollipop lady plan’ we were surprised to hear the risk to pupils of Delabole School was considered too low by central government to warrant the provision of a safe crossing patrol person. However, we were pleased to offer our assistance along with other Delabole businesses to ensure that traffic continues to be brought to a stop outside the school to allow the young students to cross the busy road with maximum safety.”