Irene Reid

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

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.

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 crossing safety for children, openly criticising plans by Lancashire County Council in 2014 to reduce funding for crossing 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. 1 2 3 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. 1 2 "Queen Elizabeth II meeting was 'like two nans nattering'". BBC News. 2022-09-12. Retrieved 2022-12-17.
  5. 1 2 "MBE honour for Longridge lollipop lady Irene Reid". BBC News. 2011-12-31. Retrieved 2022-12-17.
  6. 1 2 3 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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