A CODICOTE lollipop man had the opposition licked at a prestigious county council awards ceremony.

Dennis Hibbert, who helps children across the road in Codicote scooped the award for Crossing Patrol of the Year.

The triumph marks a stunning turnaround for Mr Hibbert, who faced the axe two years ago in a cost-cutting drive.

The “very popular” lollipop man held on to his job, thanks to a concerted campaign by children, parents and staff at Codicote Primary School.

The School Travel Awards recognise staff that “go the extra mile to encourage green school travel in the county”.

The awards ceremony, which took place at Campus West, in WGC on

March 15, celebrated the countywide efforts to encourage healthier, greener, safer journeys in Hertfordshire.

Successful schools have demonstrated long-running commitments to projects such as walking bus routes or road safety education.

The awards were presented by Terry Douris, deputy cabinet member for education and skills, across seven main categories, while 43 schools also received a Gold School Travel Plan award for demonstrating an established commitment to sustainable travel.

The main categories included the overall Road Safety Award, the Living Streets Walking Outreach Project Award, the Buggy Buddies Children’s Centre Award, the Walking Bus Champion, and the Fit and Green Short Film Challenge Award.

Four staff received the School Crossing Patrol of the Year in recognition of “their outstanding dedication to keeping our children safe each day”.

Mr Douris said: “These awards recognise all the innovation and hard work that goes on in Hertfordshire to promote sustainable school travel.

“Green travel has massive health and environmental benefits and the awards gave us a chance to thank everyone for their efforts and also to highlight the schemes that have worked particularly well.”