Encouraging our children to walk and cycle to and from school has known health and environmental benefits. However, our local roads are getting busier and the dark winter mornings and evenings all increase the risk of safe passage.

The Village Magazine would like to start up a similar local school scheme to an award winning Nationwide scheme which supplied reflective items to school pupils in order to help keep our children safer on their school journey.

Letters from our readers helped identify the risks and concerns due to our local roads getting busier. Consultations we have done so far with local schools identified a need for high vis items tailored to the appropriate age groups which they are not able to fund from their school budgets. The Village Magazine would like to help through this campaign and community support by donating to local schools a high vis vest for each YR-2 pupil and reflector badges for Y3-6 pupils. We would also work with schools and PCSO’s to encourage the pupils to view them as part of their uniform to wear to and from school. The aim is with further education the wearing of high-vis items could become the norm and continue into adulthood helping to keep our community safer on the roads in years to come.