Crossing guard looked out for her since she was 2 — now the 10-year-old is rallying the town to save his job

Sometimes, children go above and beyond and make exceptional efforts for the loved things and people they care about. Similarly, a 10-year-old girl named Paris campaigned to save her favorite lollipop man's job. The man named Billy Lee has helped her cross the road safely for years and was at risk of losing his job following cost-cutting measures by the local council. But Paris worked hard to prove why they needed Lee's service and successfully got him off the council's list of people who could potentially lose their jobs, as reported by BBC.

In the United Kingdom, a "lollipop man" (or "lollipop lady/person") is an informal term for a person who helps children and other pedestrians cross the road safely near schools. In parts of the world like the United States, they're called "school crossing guards." 

"Billy has been in this job for nearly ten years, rain or shine, and he has been helping me cross the road since I was 2," Paris explained. She asked Lee why he had chosen to become a lollipop man in the first place. "When I retired from my last job at the NHS, my wife told me that there was a job going around for a lollipop man," said Lee. He got the job and has been helping people cross the road safely ever since. "It's very rewarding seeing the children's happy smiling faces in the morning, and it makes me happy," Lee said, explaining what he loved about his job.

When Paris learned that Lee could lose his job, she started a petition and chanted "Save Billy" in the playground. She also set up a stall at a local shop to get others on board in a bid to save Lee, according to Wales Online. Surprisingly, she got more than 600 signatures, including the head teacher and the local councils, to convince the organization to continue employing the lollipop man. When Paris asked her peers why it was important to have a lollipop person, they shared their take.

"They help people get across the street and there are a lot of kids that can't get across the street properly," a boy expressed. "I think it is important because it's always good to have someone help you cross the street because sometimes it's very dangerous when you're crossing a very busy road," a girl pointed out.

"What if a car is speeding down, not following the 20-mile-an-hour speed limit, and a kid is just playing on their phone while crossing the road? It could cause a big accident," another girl responded. The council looked for information to see if Lee's work was required and concluded that the area did really need one. "Due to additional information becoming available, a reassessment was undertaken, and the outcome was that the location met the national criteria," a letter from the Caerphilly County Borough Council read. "The primary school crossing patrol has been withdrawn from the budget proposals. We apologize for any confusion this might have caused for parents and pupils."

"I'd like to thank you very much for your campaign and for getting behind me to save my job," Lee shared with Paris. "Plus, the community that got behind this as well." Lee thanked Paris from the "bottom of his heart" for what she did to protect his job. The council had earlier told him that they needed to make cuts due to the fall in the budget of £47 million ($60.6 million), according to Wales Online. They had decided to make cuts because several locations "no longer meet the criteria of the national school crossing patrol guideline." However, parents felt that there were still enough children present during rush hour to warrant a need for patrol staff.