Egerton Primary School's parking buddy mysteriously vanishes

The parking buddies hold up signs urging motorists not to park in certain spots to keep children safe.

There were put up outside Egerton Primary School following increasing congestion around the site during pick up and drop off times.

Headteacher Sam Mitchell says that they were “extremely surprised” to find that one of their buddies had mysteriously vanished from the school.

She said: “We are extremely surprised to find that this week we are missing a buddy from our original six.

“Our priority is always the safety of children.

• ALSO READ: Bolton School boys issue strict new rules for parents and pupils starting and leaving school
• ALSO READ: Blackrod Primary School: Concerns over parking
• ALSO READ: Canon Slade School parking issues raise concerns over safety

“They are put in position by our site manager each morning and put safely and securely back on our school site after all children have left the building at the end of the day.

Parking buddy (Image: Egerton Primary School)

“We are so sad to find that they are missing, and despite neighbours checking their CCTV and substantial social media sharing of our story about this, we are no further along with finding an answer as to where they have gone.”

Ms Mitchell first noticed it had disappeared on Monday June 19 during the course of the school day.

The school also does not have the funds to replace another parking buddy, but they say they will continue to use the five remaining buddies, with the hope that they are treated respectfully.

Ms Mitchell added: “In the meantime, we remain hopeful that our missing buddy will be returned to us or someone will have information about their whereabouts.”

Parking buddy (Image: Egerton Primary School)

Ms Mitchell says that they decided on the parking initiative after wanting something more visual to remind drivers of the importance of not blocking the school site, avoiding zigzags, and avoiding parking on corners at the entrance to school.

Ms Mitchell said: “The parking buddies are the perfect resource to communicate this message because they are visually engaging, specific to our school and can be positioned in the most hazardous areas.

“After seeing these working effectively in our neighbouring schools, we approached our PTA for support with funding these, and they very kindly offered the £1,100 donation for six parking buddies.

“The response from our community, when these went out at the start of June, was very positive, and given that there has been significant roadworks in the area, they are a timely reminder of driving and parking safely around our school.”

If you have a story and something you would like to highlight in the community, please email me at jasmine.jackson@newsquest.co.uk or DM me on Twitter @JournoJasmine.