12:11pm Wednesday 22nd August 2007
By Gemma Wheatley
Last year lollipop lady Jenny Thairs scooped an act of bravery award after she was nominated by three parents who witnessed her heroic act.
One afternoon last June she spotted a half-naked man getting into a car with two children.
As the drama unfolded outside Monks Orchard School in Woodside, Jenny bravely threw her lollipop stick into the road and screamed for help.
Thanks to her actions the man was stopped from driving away and police were called.
Parents collecting their children from the school had already seen a man, a 27-year-old from Bromley who was believed to be mentally ill, behaving strangely around the school grounds.
Jenny said: "He came out and walked over to the car and got in it. I threw my lollipop stick to the ground and started screaming. It stopped him from driving off and I called 999."
Police arrested the man but he managed to escape, handcuffed and completely naked.
It is thought the man was subsequently sectioned and taken to the nearby Bethlehem Royal Hospital in Monks Orchard Road, which specialises in treating mental health problems.
But for Jenny, it was all in a day's work. She added: "I don't do my job for recognition, I just keep an eye on the kids as if they were my own. I don't go around bragging."
Hers was one of many stories we have heard about over the years - but we want more.
Acts of bravery could include saving people from a burning building or something as heartbreaking as battling a terminal illness.
If you know someone who you think deserves an award then let us know by completing the nomination form online.
Nominees will be featured in the paper in the coming weeks and also invited to the awards ceremony in November, where the winners will be announced.
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