A SPECIAL park and stride scheme - to encourage parents to drop off their children at village pubs and stroll the rest of the way to school - has been launched in Backwell

A SPECIAL park and stride scheme - to encourage parents to drop off their children at village pubs and stroll the rest of the way to school - has been launched in Backwell.The scheme, being pioneered by Backwell Comprehensive School as part of its travel plan, encourages parents to drop their children off at pub car parks in the village and walk the final stretch to class.The initiative was launched following concerns about the number of parents driving their children to lessons, causing congestion at either end of the school day. Pubs in the village which have signed up to the scheme include the New Inn, Rising Sun and The George.Backwell School activities co-ordinator Marie Davis said: "As part of the school travel plan we were looking at different ways of students getting to school."Often parents would drop off their children either at the leisure centre or at Station Road."This did cause congestion as many of our students arrive via coach and there are about a dozen buses coming into the school at the beginning and end of the day."The scheme has been a success, but the school is keen to encourage more parents to join.Mrs Davis added: "Not only does the park and stride scheme reduce congestion, but it also promotes a healthy lifestyle."We also have a number of luminous jackets which were funded with a grant from the Police Community Trust which students who are walking to school can have."Research shows that currently 34 per cent of students at the school arrive by coaches and that 29 per cent walk or cycle.Other initiatives to encourage students to find an alternative to being driven to school include providing new cycle racks and developing a school cycle path connecting to the National Cycle Network.