Alverstoke pupils taking to two wheels for Big Pedal

This is a nationwide scheme set up by Sustrans to encourage primary-aged children to ride or scoot to school.

Results are based upon the proportion of a school taking part not on numbers alone allowing more groups to compete fairly.

The competition, which takes the five best results over a two week period, requires parents and staff to forgo short car trips in exchange for the benefits of a two-wheeled lifestyle.

At Alverstoke, the contest is being organised by the BikeItCrew, a team made up entirely of year 6 pupils who have taken on the extra work by getting to school earlier in order to log their classmate’s arrivals.

BikeItCrew member Jazmin Jagger said: ‘We’re really excited to be taking part, we are competing against other schools over the country and, if we clock up the most bike and scooter journeys, we’ll win.’

Fellow team member Tallulah Webb explained: ‘It’s good fun for us to log people as they arrive and then see where we are on The Big Pedal website.’

The scheme is backed by Joanna Rowsell Shand MBE, who achieved gold at the 2012 London Olympic games.

The prizes up for grabs include a visit by an extreme mountain biking team, a set of three specialist development bicycles and a new cycle storage unit for use at the school.

The competition is due to run from Monday April 18 to Monday May 2.

Further information is available from bigpedal.org.uk.