A clutch of Fife schools pupils celebrated being among the fittest in Scotland with an unusual relay race.
Schools across Dunfermline and south west Fife have been marking their involvement in the Walk once a Week (WoW) Scotland scheme.
Fifty pupils recently took part in a WoW relay of 4.5 miles with each school relaying the inflatable mascot Strider across the town.
The relay started with pupils from Milesmark primary school carrying Strider to McLean primary, whose pupils then carried it to St Leonards pupils waiting in Pittencrieff Park.
They in turn carried it to Rex Park where Touch primary finished off the relay back to their school.
Last year Fife Council successfully applied for funding from the Scottish Government’s Smarter Choices, Smarter Places fund to allow 40 schools across Fife to take part in the Walk once a Week initiative, which encourages pupils to walk or cycle to school.
Over the past 12 months, the number of schools across Dunfermline and south west Fife schools participating in the WoW active travel initiative has more than doubled.
Many of the schools involved now regularly feature in the top 10 of the most active schools in Scotland.
The schools log the trips of pupils to measure how many walk, cycle, scoot or park and stride.
In the last year, levels of active travel trips have increased by 6%, from 78% to 84%, which is likely to increase further as Fife heads into the summer months.
Councillor Helen Law, the chairwoman of the City of Dunfermline area committee, said: “Walk Once a Week has been a really popular initiative that’s helping young people and their families make permanent lifestyle changes for the better.
“This is a great achievement for the pupils taking part and I’d like to congratulate them for their hard work.
“They are great ambassadors for us all to think about how we could incorporate more walking into our routines more often.”
The Smarter Choices, Smarter Places initiative was developed to encourage more people to reduce their car use in favour of more sustainable alternatives such as walking, cycling and public transport.
More information is available from active schools in Scotland.
www.transportscotland.gov.uk/environment/smarter-choices-smarter-places.
