Brierley Hill lollipop lady retires after 27 years

The 63-year-old has spent years shepherding pupils safely to their school, Mount Pleasant Primary, in Quarry Bank.

Her patch – the A4036 opposite the Round Oak Pub in Brierley Hill – runs towards the Merry Hill shopping centre.

She said: "It is a very busy crossing, especially for little children.

"I'm pleased to have been able to help them get across for so long."

Before school, during the lunch break and after school, Mrs James has stopped the traffic for about 50 children each day with her colleague Jill Curtis. She said: "In the beginning I started the work under the police but then the council took over. One of the reasons I did it was because I loved a bit of fresh air.

"I've enjoyed every minute of this job, even the bad weather, but you can cope with that a lot better when you're younger.

"As you get older your body starts to want to slow down and my asthma doesn't do so well in the cold."

Husband Kelvin has also been trying to get his wife to slow down. She said: "I was going to keep going until I was 65 but I think now is the time to leave it."

Pupils and parents gave Mrs James, known as "Auntie Pat", a surprise farewell with a special assembly.

Mrs James said: "I'll miss helping the school children to cross the road and my last day doing that was very emotional."

The first project for her retirement is moving from her home in Cradley Heath to a house in Worcestershire.

Then she hopes to spend more time with her family, including two sons, Carl, aged 39, and Paul, 36, and her four grandchildren.