Come rain or shine, lollipop lady Helen Hopkins has been a regular fixture outside a St Albans school where she has been helping children cross safely for the past 20 years.

And to mark Helen’s two decades of wearing her high-visibility jacket and wielding her circular sign telling motorists to stop, children at Skyswood primary and nursery school organised a special celebration.

Children in the nursery class invited Helen for morning tea and to partake of traffic-light cakes they had made themselves to mark the anniversary.

Deputy head, Kelly Nichol, said: “Helen is a remarkable lady who helps our children cross the road safely each day, whatever the weather. She is very much part of our school community.

“Just recently she spent a morning in our nursery talking about her important role in keeping people safe to further their understanding of road safety. They wanted to help her celebrate this by making their cakes and inviting her to tea.”