SEVERAL hundred children and their parents took to the streets of Lawn yesterday morning in an attempt to encourage others to walk to school.

Wednesday saw the start of International Walk to School week so pupils at Lawn Primary did their bit and were rewarded with a free breakfast.

In total about 200 took part in the event which teachers say not only promotes a healthier lifestyle but also gives parents more time to spend with their children.

Sara Smith, the eco-schools coordinator, organised the day along with a number of pupils at Lawn, known as the Green Team.

She said: “We’ve all been impressed by how many have taken part. When we counted there were around 200 people in the hall having breakfast.

“We were standing at the gates giving out stickers to people who had obviously walked in. The school put on a free breakfast when they got in as a reward.

“There are obviously benefits to walking to school aswell as the health aspects. People often live hectic lives so this is a chance for parents to spend more time with their child.

“It was great watching everyone talking at breakfast today.

“Like a lot of schools, in the past we have had a problem with parking at the beginning and end of the school day.

“By walking into school this problem is eased, which benefits both parents and local residents.”

International Walk to School Month is an annual event which has a number of different aims, including building safer communities through walking.

While Lawn Primary has encouraged its pupils to walk safely into school for a number of years, the re-painting of the markings outlining the safety zone have given them the perfect opportunity to push the scheme again.

“We were one of the first schools to have a school safety zone in place back in 2010 so we want to push it again,” said Sara.

“The pupils who were in Year 2 when we first launched it are now in Year 6 so it makes sense to push it again.

“We have been working closely with the council to get the markings done again so it is now clear for new parents.

“What we hope now is that people take the message from this and walk to school. We have several smaller events over the rest of the month to see who is keeping up with it.”