‘We’ve got our crossing patrol back!’: Bricknell Primary School pupils secure return of attendant Stuart

‘WE DID IT!’: Bricknell Primary School pupils, from left, Lola, May and Thea, celebrate after delivering their petition to the Guildhall

By Simon Bristow

Three pupils from Bricknell Primary are celebrating their success after securing the return of their beloved school crossing patrol attendant.

Year 4 pupils Thea, Lola and May launched a petition after their crossing attendant Stuart Wakelin was suddenly moved away to cover a vacancy in West Hull on an unsignalled crossing near St George’s Primary School. That left the Bricknell Pelican crossing unstaffed.

The campaigning trio managed to get more than 100 people to sign their petition asking for Stuart to return to Bricknell.

Bricknell ward councillor Peter North picked up on their campaign after seeing it on Facebook and spoke to Stuart before inviting the girls to present their petition at the Guildhall.

Coun North said: “Parents were telling me that Stuart wanted to return to Bricknell, and the students of Bricknell Primary are clearly very fond of him. Crossing patrol attendants play a vital role in ensuring the safety of our schoolchildren, and after some discussion with council officers I was delighted to receive the petition and inform Lola, Thea and May that Stuart will be returning as soon as the vacancy at St George’s Road is filled.

“To see three dedicated young activists take action over something they care about deeply is really encouraging and I hope they carry on trying to make positive change in our community.”

STRONG MESSAGE: The girls take their petition to the Guildhall, where they were warmly received by Councillor Peter North, left, and Neil Hulks, senior internal delivery officer at the city council

Neil Hulks, senior internal delivery officer at Hull City Council, said: “Stuart is just one of the many unsung heroes guiding Hull’s children safely across our roads. He is reliable, hard-working and a true asset of our team, and we are hugely appreciative of his commitment over the years.

“It is testament to Stuart that his absence from his usual crossing has generated this level of interest and a credit to Lola, Thea and May, that so many people signed the petition.”

He added “At Hull City Council, we pride ourselves on ensuring that routes to schools are as safe as they can be. This is only possible thanks to our incredible staff who are members of our community, who come rain or shine pride themselves on the safety of children and parents during school drop-off and pick-up times.

“We are currently looking for new members to join our team. If you have the patience and people skills, when it comes to the children, parents, teachers and drivers, along with the awareness and understanding of road safety, then this role may be for you.”

Thea said: “It was really nice visiting the Guildhall and meeting councillor North and finding out that Stuart can come back to Bricknell. I’m proud of myself and my friends for achieving this.”

“The meeting was really good,” Lola said. “Councillor North was really nice and he listened to us and talked to us so we knew what he was doing with Neil. I am really excited to have Stuart back to say ‘Good Morning’ to.”

May said: “I felt nervous, then sad and then happy – because I wasn’t sure if Stuart was coming back. I was quite nervous about being in the Guildhall and unsure of the outcome, and now I’m happy that he will be coming back.”