Schoolchildren across Medway have been praised for taking part in a national walking campaign.

Medway Council supported national ‘Walk to School Month’ in October in partnership with the KM Charity Team and invited local schools and academies to take part. The campaign is designed to encourage physical activity in a child’s daily routine in a fun and innovative way and in turn help remove the number of car journeys associated with the school run.

Across Medway 27 schools and academies took part and completed a total of 64,367 walked journeys. Primary schools took part in the Hedgehog Hike and secondary schools competed in the Social Netwalk.

The primary and secondary schools with the highest percentage of pupils walking to school as part of the campaign have been named the winners of the challenge.

St Margaret’s Church of England Juniors in Rainham were winners of the Hedgehog Hike challenge with more than 90 per cent of pupils walking to school.

The winners of the Social Netwalk Challenge were The Victory Academy in Chatham. More than 75 per cent of pupils walked to school as part of the challenge.

Deanwood Primary School in Rainham were named the most improved school as they saw an increase of more than 38 per cent of pupils walking to school during this year’s campaign, compared to last year.

Medway Council’s portfolio holder for frontline services, Cllr Phil Filmer, said: “I would like to congratulate everyone who took part in this year’s Walk to School Month. The campaign not only encourages children to become more active but it also highlights road safety.

"I would encourage more families to walk to and from school, it’s a great way to remain healthy and it reduces the number of vehicles on Medway’s roads during the school run.”

Any Medway schools interested in taking part in Hedgehog Hikers or the Social Netwalk should click HERE to find out more.

The KM Charity Team also run the green travel scheme Super Wow (Walk on Wednesday) which is open to all schools in the county. Visit www.KmWalkToSchool.co.uk/Wow