Lollipop lady ‘legend’ Betty Ealand bids tearful farewell
Gloucestershire’s longest-serving lollipop lady has bid a tearful farewell to the job she enjoyed so much. Betty Ealand showed amazing dedication by helping children and parents cross Barton Street in Tewkesbury for 45-and-a-half years. The 76-year-old was out there in all weather, in the morning and afternoon every day during term time. She has no idea how many people she helped while doing the job, close to Tewkesbury CofE Primary School, but she knows it was an awful lot. Now, reluctantly, she has retired from the role after being advised to on health grounds by her doctor. She said: “I didn’t want to, I really didn’t. But the doctor said she wanted me to finish. “I was really upset when she said about it. I cried.”
The grandmother-of-seven, who lives with her husband Andrew in East Street, Tewkesbury, said it had been a labour of love.
“I did the job because I enjoyed it. I will miss a lot of the kids and a lot of the parents as well.
“After all this time, I’m very sorry for letting people down but, as the doctor says, your health comes first,” she said.
Mrs Ealand’s daughter, Sharon Vick, paid tribute to her on Facebook.