What a week it's been and I wanted to thank the media for the attention they have given to the cause. We were featured in BBC Radio Devon, Spotlight, live TV, Express and Echo... I hardly saw my children this half term. You probably saw the news last night that despite HUGE opposition, despite a public consultation that shows 88% of the public are asking for the service to be kept as it is, they went ahead with the proposal to stop funding school crossing patrols. However, thanks to wonderful Lib Dem and Labour councillors who worked really hard on this, there will be a scrutinity meeting on the 7th of March. And I think there will be a lot of issues to scrutinize. John Hart himself said several times and again on TV last night, that the council tax had to be increased in order to protect the vulnerable. He has repeated many times that he has a duty to "protect the young, the old, and the vulnerable". We want to ask him why that doesn't include children on their way to school, who are risking their lives every day just as I was 20 years ago when I got badly injured in an accident on a busy junction. The day after I was run over there were school crossing patrols in place but just too late. I don't want one day to receive the same phone call my mum received 20 years ago that all of us parents dread. Apparently at the meeting yesterday, John Hart said he only got 2 emails from parents concerned about the school crossing patrol situation. He doesn't seem to have counted the thousands of petition signatures and comments he received or taken into account the public consultation which showed 88% of people want the service kept as it is. But I completely understand if email is his favourite way to hear about what we think and perhaps it is the way to his heart. So please do tell everyone you know, not just in Exeter but also in Devon to email him as it seems he wants to hear from us by email: john.hart@devon.gov.uk I did present this petition which has over 1000 signatures and I will present it again on the 7th of March if it reaches 2000 signatures. So please help me by sharing it with your communities. We are representing the young and the vulnerable, we are the parents of the young and the vulnerable and we trust the council to carry on protecting them. We are the people who vote for these councillors and we trust them to protect our children. If they don't, then we will have to express our disappointment via our ballot papers when we come to elect our councillors this coming May. Please, cabinet leaders, protect the young and the vulnerable it is your duty as you said it yourselves. And everyone who signed the petition, do email john.hart@devon.gov.uk and tell him what you think Heart to Hart. Lucie