Children from Challock Primary School celebrated receiving top prize when their walking bus was named the best green travel scheme in the district.

The Ashford school was selected by Simon Dolby, KM Charity Team chief executive, to receive the Mini Babybel Best Walking Bus award for the region. The accolade is in recognition of the sterling efforts made by leading parents to make the walk to school safe, effective and fun for pupils.

Mr Dolby said: “The competition standard was high but Challock Walking Buses still managed to stand out from the crowd. I’d like to thank Babybel for supporting this new award and allowing us to shout about the fantastic Challock Walking Bus scheme.”

Rachel Girt, walking bus coordinator for the school, said the award came as a complete surprise but they were all absolutely delighted with the win.

She said: “We’re also very pleased with the walking bus scheme. The children enjoy seeing their friends in the morning and are excited to tell each other what they’ve been doing over the weekend. It’s good to blow away the cobwebs and it helps them to wake up before getting to school; and of course it means that everyone arrives on time.”

She added: “It’s lovely for them to get to know other children of different ages, as well as mums, dads, grandparents – and baby brothers and sisters too! Most parents tend to walk with their children so it’s good to see families getting involved and enjoying the fresh air and exercise together.”

The KM Walking Bus is a collaborative scheme designed to encourage more children to walk to school. Parents wanting to join Challock Walking Bus should contact Mrs Aitken at the school office.

As well as Mini Babybel the KM Walking Bus, which is a KCC-led initiative, is supported by Ashford Borough Council, Countrystyle Recycling, Specsavers, Three R’s Teacher Recruitment and Eurostar.

To find out more about the walking bus, visit www.kmwalktoschool.co.uk. Organisations wanting to find out how they can sponsor a KM Walking Bus should call Mr Dolby on 07989 164 752.