Pupils have been given an extra incentive to make a splash with green travel and reading – the chance to win free swimming tickets.

Five Shepway schools taking part in the reading reward scheme Buster’s Book Club and walk to school programme Active Wow (Walk on Wednesday) will have the chance to win a stack of vouchers from Folkestone Sports Centre.

The announcement was made at St Nicholas C of E Primary School in New Romney and attended by pupils from Brenzett C of E Primary School, Lydd Primary School, and Marsh Academy, all from Romney Marsh, as well as Harcourt Primary in Folkestone.

Danny Lester, sales and marketing manager at Folkestone Sports Centre, gave each school 60 child entry swimming vouchers. These will be given to the top classes for reading and green travel over the summer term.

Simon Dolby, chief executive of the KM Charity Team, which runs Wow and Buster’s Book Club, said: “What a fantastic prize for the children - and a terrific incentive for them to make that extra effort to walk to school or meet their reading targets.”

Both schemes work by encouraging classes to compete as a team to achieve the biggest number of green journeys or minutes spent reading each week.

Each participating school awards its best or most improved class with a Class of the Week Trophy for green travel or reading.

Monthly inter-school challenges - involving schools across the county - award the winning classes tickets to leading leisure attractions, books, or visits by storytellers.

Schools can sign up this term for Wow and have green travel in place for next academic year. Applications received by July 1 will receive a 20% discount and entry into a prize draw to win 400 books.

The KM Charity Team’s work is supported by White’s Transport, Ashford International Hotel, Orbit, Volker Highways, Countrystyle Recycling, Golding Vision (part of Golding Homes), Specsavers, Eurostar, Kent County Council, Medway Council, London Borough of Bexley, Three R’s Teacher Recruitment, Maidstone Borough Council, Ashford Borough Council, Whitefriars, Leeds Castle, Little Cheyne Court, Kent Community Foundation, Planet Ice, Hornby, and Wildwood.

To join, visit www.kmcharityteam.co.uk/wow or contact Sarah Clyne at sclyne@thekmgroup.co.uk

Find out about the charity’s reading reward scheme at www.bustersbookclub.co.uk