25.11.16
Oldham Council asks public to name new gritter
Oldham Council has asked people to name its new Mitsubishi Fuso gritting machine, leading the council to be inundated with realistic – and unrealistic – suggestions.
The highway team's competition – which is meant to be restricted to primary school children in the Oldham area – has received more than 2,300 suggestions in its first week, including Gritter Garbo and True Grit.
The deadline for submissions is 5pm on Wednesday 30 November, and Oldham Council has declared itself “delighted” with how the competition has captured the public imagination both in Oldham and further afield.
Cllr Fida Hussain, Oldham Council cabinet member for environment services, said: “In Oldham we’re usually hit quite hard when the snow begins to fall and we have an excellent team who work tirelessly to keep the roads clear and the borough moving.
“Our gritters obviously play a vital role in that and so it’s nice that we can have a bit of fun by running competitions like this whilst teaching young people about road safety.”
The competition comes in the wake of the ‘Boaty McBoatface’ debacle, in which the National Environment Research Council asked the public to suggest and vote for the name of its new £200m polar research ship.
Although the name was the overwhelming winner of the poll, the research ship was eventually named RRS Sir David Attenborough in honour of the famous naturalist’s 90th birthday.
The local council appear to have predicted a similar situation this time, with a local spokesman clarifying that the winner of the competition “will not necessarily be the most popular name”.
If your child lives in the Oldham area or attends an Oldham primary school, you can enter the Name a Gritter 2016 competition here.
(Image c. Oldham Council)
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