If you went down to the Transport for Buckinghamshire
Amersham Depot this week, you may have thought the workforce looked a bit
younger than usual... All kitted out in
hi-vis jackets and hard hats, the Hyde Heath Brownies – whose ages range from
seven to ten – arrived at the depot on Monday evening, ready to get stuck into
learning all about winter gritting. The girls were the winners of TfB’s winter
competition to design a mascot for the gritter fleet. Their winning design, the
Frozen Donut, was a key part of TfB’s winter campaign for safety on the roads
as we reminded the public: DO-NUT Get Caught out this Winter!
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| Daisy and Lily with their winning design |
The competition
was open to Brownie and Scout groups across Buckinghamshire, and the entries
came in thick and fast last December. To thank them for their brilliant design,
devised by Daisy and Lily aged 8, the whole Brownie group was invited to name
one of two new gritters introduced to the TfB fleet for winter 2015-16, and to
come and look around their local depot. Every Brownie got the chance to climb
up into their gritter, ‘Salty Snowflake’, and learn about how the gritters work
from one of the drivers.
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| The Hyde Heath Brownies with their winning design, Councillor Mark Shaw, and Brown Owl Shanta Gillott |
During their visit the Brownies also learnt about why the
winter competition was important in helping TfB spread the winter safety
message, and keeping the public up-to-date about gritting runs. They were
pleased to hear about the wide-reaching appeal their lovely design had, and
were awarded with winners’ stickers displaying the donut, as well as a handout
explaining what we did with the Frozen Donut, and why. Shanta Gillott, the
group’s Brown Owl thanked the team for giving up their time, to give the
Brownies a ‘once in a lifetime experience’. Transport Cabinet member Mark Shaw
came along to join in the fun on Monday as well, and afterwards emphasized the importance
of including children in winter road safety education:
‘It was fun to meet
such a creative group of local children, and involve them in our work to keep people
safe on Buckinghamshire’s roads, especially in winter when they are more
hazardous. Everyone loved the Frozen Donut, and it really helped us in
spreading a memorable winter message which was charming and informative in
equal measure. Well done to all involved.’
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| The girls named their gritter Salty Snowflake |
