Horsham dad launches campaign to ban ice cream vans from outside schools

A Horsham dad has launched a campaign to ban ice cream vans from parking directly outside schools.
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Pete Ayres decided to take action after seeing three vans regularly stationed near his daughter’s school - Shelley Primary in Broadbridge Heath.

He says he’s concerned for both road safety and for children’s healthy eating habits.

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“Parking by the school is a bit of a nightmare at the best of times,” said Pete,

Pete AyresPete Ayres
Pete Ayres

“And I have nothing against selling ice creams to children, my own kids have them at home. But the school says that the kids’ attention in the last hour of school is just non existant.”

He said he was concerned that some children could run across the road to the vans, but was also concerned that parents frequently had to tell their children they couldn’t have an ice cream before dinner.

“I know everyone has to make a crust but I don’t think it’s morally right to be waiting outside a school gate.”

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Pete, who works for Horsham District Council, said his own daughter “had tears for about 25 minutes yesterday because I said no to an ice cream on the way home.”

Pete has launched an online petition to stop ice cream vans parking directly outside all schools in the UK and not to park closer than 500 yards from school gates.

“Please don’t get me wrong,” he added: “I’m not against kids having ice creams, I just feel that it should not be the first thing that they see after leaving school.”

You can see the petition here: https://www.change.org/p/icecream-sellers-ban-on-ice-cream-vans-outside-schools?recruiter=1149516387&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=share_petition&utm_term=61097fe75d734d10be26eff0ca3cc2e0&recruited_by_id=7b8912b0-f795-11ea-8338-354bf73139d9&utm_content=fht-28832809-en-gb%3A6