Irene Reid (lollipop lady)

Irene Reid (born 1940 or 1941) is a British lollipop lady who was made a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by Elizabeth II, in 2012.

Irene Reid

MBE
Born1940 or 1941
OccupationLollipop lady
Years active1968-present
TitleMember of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire

In 2017, she was the UK's longest-serving crossing patroller.

Career

Reid worked as a lollipop lady in Longridge, Ribble Valley,[1] covering the school crossing on Berry Lane,[2] earning her a 2003 award for The Golden Jubilee Lollipop Person of the year.[3] She was later in 2012 awarded a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by Elizabeth II[4] for her services to road safety.[5] In 2012, she was the longest-serving lollipop lady in Lancashire.[5] By 2017, she was the UK's longest serving crossing patroller.[6] She has been outspoken about crosswalk safety for children, openly criticising plans by Lancashire County Council in 2014 to reduce funding for crosswalk patrols.[7]

By 2021, she had been working as a lollipop lady for 53 years.[1] Reid also worked with the Longridge Youth and Community Centre for a decade.[8]

Personal life

As of 2022, Reid lived in Ribble Valley and was aged 81.[4] By 2019, she had four children,[6] including a daughter, Angela,[1] six grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.[6]

She appeared on the British television game show Blankety Blank in 2021.[9]

References
  1. Faulkner, Paul (1 Nov 2021). "Bradley Walsh as host persuades Longridge lollipop lady of 53 years to go on Blankety Blank". Lancashire Post.
  2. "Lollipop lady to open Longridge Does Christmas". Lancashire Evening Post. November 29, 2019 – via Gale OneFile.
  3. "Help lick our lollipop crisis". Lancashire Evening Post. January 9, 2006 – via Gale OneFile.
  4. "Queen Elizabeth II meeting was 'like two nans nattering'". BBC News. 2022-09-12. Retrieved 2022-12-17.
  5. "MBE honour for Longridge lollipop lady Irene Reid". BBC News. 2011-12-31. Retrieved 2022-12-17.
  6. Finch, Fiona (13 March 2019). "Irene's 50 fabulous years as Lancashire's Mrs Lollipop". Lancashire Post.
  7. "Crossing patrol plan will 'put young lives at risk'". Lancashire Evening Post. February 28, 2014 – via Gale OneFile.
  8. Duggan, Claran (October 11, 2017). "Irene's still top of the lollipops for children". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
  9. Macpherson, Jon (November 2, 2021). "Longridge lollipop lady stuns Blankety Blank host Bradley Walsh when sharing her age". LancsLive. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
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