CHILDREN have helped launch a new campaign aimed at tackling traffic congestion around their school.

Pupils from Bowburn Infant and Nursery School, in Bowburn, are taking part in Living Streets’ Walk Once a Week (Wow) campaign.

Under the Park and Stride initiative, they will be rewarded with collectable badges for each month they regularly walk to school.

Bowburn Community Association has provided a car park where parents can park before walking the rest of their journey to the school, which it is hoped will cut congestion around the school.

Trish Fay, a teacher at the school and its Wow champion, said: “We are thrilled to be taking part in such an exciting project which involves children and their parents.

“By encouraging our children to walk to school we are promoting a healthier lifestyle and a safer environment around our school.”

The school is one of 30 taking part in the project, which is led by Durham County Council and Living Streets, a national charity.

According to Living Streets, the number of primary school children who walk to school has dropped from 56 per cent to 47 per cent over the past decade. Forty-three per cent are now driven to school.