| Gritting McQueen, Grit-fire and Feathers McGrit are just three of 29 winning names in a competition organised by Gloucestershire County Council and its partner Ringway, to give a name and face to the gritters keeping Gloucestershire’s roads free from snow and ice this winter. |
Thousands of children from Gloucestershire’s primary schools were offered the opportunity to take part in a competition to name the 29 gritters in the council’s fleet operated by Ringway. There were over 540 entries with some brilliant names suggested, making it a hard choice to narrow it down.
Across the county 106,705km are driven by gritting vehicles each winter – the equivalent of more than twice around the Earth’s equator. That’s around 200 journeys by gritting vehicles on routes to keep public transport moving, help children get to school and support the emergency services to safely reach people who need them. The gritters and their drivers are backed by more than 5,000 salt bins checked and topped up where necessary and salt barns full of around 10,950 tonnes of salt – that’s enough to fill more than 100 million kitchen table saltshakers.
Cllr. Joe Harris, cabinet member for Highways said: “We received a brilliant response to this competition which has been a fun way to get children in the county involved in naming the gritters. It’s been great to see how excited they’ve been and the fantastic ideas they’ve come up with. The heroes who go out at all times of day and night deserve our recognition.”
Nick Radford, business unit manager for Ringway Gloucestershire said: “This has been a fun initiative and one that raises awareness about what our teams do, day in day out across the network in the winter. Its important people know more about what we do and hopefully the schools involved will follow their favourite gritter and now they each have a name. Thanks to everyone for their support, the schools, the head teachers and the children as well as parents and especially Gloucestershire Highways.”
The 29 winning names were: Anikan Icewalker, Grit Patrol, Ice Vadar, David Attenbrrrr, Taylor Drift, Cold Aston, Snow Patrol, BFG (Big Friendly Gritter), Elsa Meltsa, Lionel Gritty, Tilly, Grit Britain, Great Gangster Gritter, Gritfield Park, Gritter Star, Oreo, Cherry and Ice, Feathers McGrit, Grit-fire, Queen Margritter, Great Grizzly, Grit Grit the Gritter, Grit-asaurus Rex, Seasons grittings, Come Grit with me, Gritsy Wincy Spider, Benji the Baltic Blaster, Gritting McQueen, and Veruca Salt.
