The Metropolis

Patty, Lollipop lady, Bow

Katherine Blamire | Friday 25 May, 2012 13:37

Stepping out in front of rush hour London traffic in a luminous yellow jacket and hat while holding a giant lollipop sign might not appeal to everyone as a career choice, but it’s clear that Lollipop Lady Patty is completely in her element.

Having lived in the area all her life, Patty feels a strong connection to the East End and its ever-changing community. Watching her greet each passer-by with friendly banter is a heartwarming sight. There is something comforting about the sight of lollipop people in our neighborhoods. Perhaps it is because it harks back to a more innocent time when we were children and the act of crossing the road was taken very seriously, before we got older and started stumbling off night buses like disorientated lemmings. Maybe it’s time to revisit the Lollipop Lady mentality.. and remember to never underestimate the power of a simple “good morning!”.

SNIPE: What do you enjoy most about this job?

Patty: I get to meet people. I get to meet a load of children, and I do like children. I just enjoy the job. If you’ve got a smile then they’ve got a smile to give back, which I think makes the world go round.

S: It seems like you must have to have a caring personality to do this job.

P: I was off for a couple of days last year, I’d had a little accident, nothing major, but they got a relief in and when I went back in on Monday morning I’d missed a day and a half.. and they all complained about how miserable it was. I mean, they didn’t get a “good morning” or a “good afternoon.” He just stood in the road and done what he had to do, so I think they missed that “Good morning, how are you?” that kind of thing. I think it’s not so much a caring attitude but it helps if you ask how they are and if they had a nice weekend. I say “have a nice weekend, don’t do anything I won’t do” to the adults, to the kids, “enjoy the holiday”.. then you get a nice smile. Most of the time you do get a response, which I think is really good.

S: Does the job make you feel closer to your community?

P: Yes, you get to mix with all types of people from different places all over the world. They may run each other down, but they all talk to me, which I think is good.

S: Do you feel like a kind of meeting point for people?

P: Yes because I say “Good morning” to different people, they might not even normally look at each other, but they both say “good morning” back and then they might look at each other and give each other a smile. So you are getting the community together, even for that short “good morning.”

S: You must have to be a good judge of the traffic.

P: Yes, because where I am is a difficult corner. Sometimes you have to have eyes where they shouldn’t be—in the back of your head. Like, most of them now know that I’m there, you still get one or two that can be quite abusive, we have to be careful what you say back, we do have to mind our Ps and Qs. You just have to let them know that you’re there for a reason—to see the child across the road safely at the end of the day—and most of them will accept that—because most of them have got children. I’ve had one or two shouting “you shouldn’t be doing this job!” You just have to say—“if you don’t like it, complain to my governor.” I’ve had two incidents where they’ve had to report it to the police, where they’ve gone round me. The second time we took it to its level and they got a warning, but if they did it again they’d get a £1000 fine, because at the end of the day you can’t put a price on a child’s life.

S: No. Do most drivers respect you though?

P: Yes and I get a lot of “good mornings” and people that go past all the time, you get to know them and you get a wave. I’m lucky, because most of them know me and if I have my back to them and I don’t see them, they give me a beep to let me know I’ve gone past them, because they like their wave as well. They like that smile first thing in the morning.

S: In London—do you feel road traffic safety has got worse?

P: We could do with another two dozen [lollipop people] in the East End alone, especially now we’ve got the Olympics as well. The roads are terrible, you get so much traffic. We just need more money. It’s the going and the coming home from work that you need more people there for safety. traffic lights are great, but who takes any notice of them?

S: Sometimes I feel the traffic lights don’t seem to give you enough time to cross the road.

P: Yes, especially for the elderly. I mean kiddies, they like to cross the road as fast as possible. Let’s be honest about it. If I see a kiddie running towards me I stop the traffic for a couple of minutes more, to let that kid cross the road, because they don’t like slowing down. Especially if the mum is a big lady coming up behind, and the kiddie is running well in front of them, because those kiddies don’t like to stop. they want to go straight across the road.

S: You’ve lived here a long time…

P: All my life.

S: How do you feel the area has changed?

P: For a start you have people from every nation under the sun here, which is good. It has changed a hell of lot, buildings, attitudes, shops. Everything’s changed. When I was a kiddie we had the Docks, we ain’t got that no more here.

S: Were things safer here?

P: We could leave our doors open when I was a child. Now some people have computers and some people ain’t. Or they’ve got a 60 inch television and some people ain’t, there’s a lot of jealousy because people are so money orientated now to what they were when we were kids. I mean no one had nothing, we had to play with an old piece of rope, or a couple of balls up the wall and that was it. Kids now have got so much, but those that ain’t got, want the same. Which is only natural but there is a lot jealousy which causes theft. I’d love to win the lottery, who wouldn’t? But until I do, I say good luck to you if you do even if you’re my next door neighbour. If I can’t have it—you might as well. You’ve got to have that attitude.

S: Were people happier when they had less?

P: Yes because you were all striving to get more but when I was a child my door was open all day. The only time it got closed was when we all went to bed. Other than that your neighbours used to walk in and out and you’d walk in and out of theirs—to sit down and have a natter and a cup of tea. Television, I think is another thing. We had a television but it went on at certain times, now it’s on 24-7 which kills the art of conversation besides anything else. I think—the more you have—the more people seem to want.

Email: katherine.blamire@snipelondon.com

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