PUPILS helped to promote the benefits of walking by taking part in an eye-catching event this week.

Sixty children from St Aidan's CE Memorial Primary School, in Hartlepool, each carried a piece of a giant jigsaw that was then assembled in the playground to mark Walk to School Week.

It formed a giant story book telling of the adventure of walking to school.

Joanne Taylor, Hartlepool Borough Council's school travel assistant, said: "We always look for new and innovative ways of promoting safer and healthier ways of travelling to and from school, and this eye-catching initiative certainly fits the bill.

"We put forward St Aidan's Primary to host the event because of the work on road safety and other related issues that we have done with them previously."

National Walk to School co-ordinator, Donna McLoughlin, said: "The spirit of adventure and the skills to survive, like road safety and navigation, could be lost if children aren't given the chance to walk.

"Walking to school prepares children to travel independently when they are older and gives them the confidence that they can cope."