COLOURFUL life-sized models depicting children dressed in school uniform are helping youngsters at a Rotherham school win the war on bad parking.
Listerdale Junior Academy, in Beech Avenue, have recently taken delivery of two Parking Buddies; aluminium bollards dressed as fake pupils, wearing their Listerdale school uniform.
Named ‘Liz’ and ‘Dale’ by students at the school, it is hoped that the Parking Buddies will deter parents and carers from stopping on the yellow lines outside the school gates.
Jaimie Milner, Listerdale Junior Academy’s Events and Active Travel Co-ordinator, says that the Parking Buddies have been well received by parents and carers at the school.
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She said: “Liz and Dale are doing very well since joining us here at Listerdale Junior Academy.
“Parking Buddies are road safety aids which I have been wanting to get for our school for a while – but they’re quite expensive. I received an email from Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, informing me that councillors were offering funding to pay for the Parking Buddies and I jumped at the chance to have these at Listerdale.
“Lots of parents and carers have commented on how good they are and how they hope that Liz and Dale remind people to park more carefully around school.”
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Listerdale Junior Academy are proud ambassadors for road safety and have their own road safety officers, Year 5 pupils Ethan Kilgariff and Olivia Beighton and Mya Cartwright, who is currently in Year 3.
Last month, they held a car-free day, which saw Beech Avenue closed for nine hours so that pupils could play on the street and enjoy better air quality.
They also offer a park-and-stride scheme, which is used by more than 20 per cent of pupils from the school. This leaves the nearby Brecks Beefeater pub every morning and is led by volunteer parents and school staff.
A spokesperson for Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council said: “Valley Ward Councillors are keen to keep our school children safer by encouraging parents and visitors to schools not to park on the yellow Zig-Zag lines by purchasing ‘Parking Buddies’ from their ward funds.
“So far, six schools in the Valley Ward have taken up the offer of the Parking Buddies and are delighted with them. The School Councils are also spreading the word to other schools across the borough.”
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For more details contact Kerry Ganly at Penguin PR by ringing 01332 416228 or 07734 723951 or emailing kerry@penguinpr.co.uk
