An Islington lollipop lady has been honoured with a lifetime contribution award at the London Transport Awards for keeping Holloway children safe for over 44 years.
Margaret Lonergan, 75, has helped children and the elderly cross the northern end of Liverpool road in Holloway since 1975.
Ms Lonergan is already London’s longest standing lollipop lady, and if she continues to serve her community until the end of 2020 she will become the UK’s longest ever serving School Crossing Patrol.
She has been watching over the children of Sacred Heart Catholic primary school, St Mary Magdalene and Drayton Park school for almost 45 years.
Ms Lonergan was awarded a ‘Lifetime Contribution as a Frontline Employee award’ at the London Transport Awards on Saturday 14 March for her dedication to the community.
Ms Lonergan thought she had been nominated for a ‘Frontline Employee of the Year’ award, but Transport Times, who hosted the event, decided to create a new award to honour her contribution to generations of Islington school children.
Ms Lonergan decided to become a lollipop lady in her thirties in order to earn a “few spare bob” and is still going strong over 40 years later.
“Children run up to me and give me a hug because they’re so excited to see the lollipop lady, even bus drivers wave at me in the mornings!
“I get people coming up to me saying ‘You were my lollipop lady.’ They’ve grown up into these lovely young men and women with families of their own, it’s amazing,” she said.
When she lost her 11-year-old son Dennis a few months into the job, she found ensuring children got to school safely helped her.
Ms Lonergan has never seen a major accident on her watch, but she worries that the rise of smartphones may lead to more accidents.
“It’s not the kids I worry about, but mums on their phones with their kids behind them. There’s so much more traffic now, including cyclists and scooters,” she said.
Ms Lonergan has five more years before she has to retire, but looks set to break the record for the longest ever serving Crossing Patrol person as she has no intention of stopping just yet.
“I know I’ll have to retire at some point, but I’ll continue for as long as they let me. If I start losing my concentration before then, I’ll know it’s time to stop. I would really miss it, it’s my life,” she added.
Deputy Mayor for Transport, Heidi Alexander, praised the dedication of Ms Lonergan and all others who keep London safe. Speaking at the event, she said: “The London Transport Awards brings together and celebrates the achievements of a truly inspiring group of people who help to ensure that our first-class transport system runs smoothly and efficiently. I congratulate all the winners and entrants for everything they’ve done to ensure this vital industry continues to thrive.”
