Children roared with delight as a gritting lorry came to visit their Wisborough Green school after they won a competition to name it.
The large yellow lorry, now known as ‘Thaw’, thanks to the Adventurers Class at Wisborough Green Primary School, in Newpound Lane, came to the school as part of the Name a Gritter Competition run by West Sussex County Council’s Sussex Safer Roads Partnership on Tuesday December 11.
The council are hoping to raise road safety awareness through their ‘Be Safe, Be Seen’ campaign this year, encouraging children to wear an item of bright clothing when walking to school.
The primary school was also presented with a grit bin, grit salt, snow shovel, and a £20 high street voucher.
Pene Mather, a school travel advisor working in WSCC’s Safer Routes to School team, said: “It’s a vital message and luckily we have got the message out early enough. We’ve had a fantastic response to the competition.”
They have 23 gritters across West Sussex, operated by contractor Balfour Beatty.
She added: “Traditional school uniforms are very dark and school coats are black or navy. By adding a scarf or having a hat you could make them stand out and let drivers see them.”
Their class teacher Mr Harder and headteacher Trudy Emberson, were present as children were quizzed on road safety tips.
The school was one of three winners in 2012, with the other two naming their lorries ‘Gritney Spears’ and ‘Great Gritain’.
Mr Harder said that one of the children came up with the name Thor, after the popular superhero film, but was changed to Thaw, when the alternative spelling and meaning was pointed out by another pupil.