A Medway primary hopes to experience a green travel spike or two by taking on walk to school challenge Hedgehog Hikers.

New Road Primary in Chatham is taking part in the initiative run by Medway Council in partnership with the KM Charity Team.

Hedgehog Hikers ties in with Walk to School month, which takes place every October.

Classes conduct daily hands-up surveys to gauge the number of pupils getting to school by foot, bike, scooter, park and stride or public transport.

KM Charity Team chief executive Simon Dolby said: "Pupils at New Road Primary School were incredibly enthusiastic about joining the walk to school campaign.

“We can’t wait to see how they get on with Hedgehog Hikers, and hope that it encourages them to carry on using green travel once it comes to an end.”

Portfolio Holder for Front Line Services, Councillor Phil Filmer, said: “The walking campaign is a great way to keep children active and it encourages them to think about road safety. During last year’s campaign we saw a significant decrease in cars on Medway’s roads, and this has huge environmental benefits.

"Thank you to schools, children and parents who support and take part in this scheme, and good luck to every school taking part in this year’s walking challenge.”

Data from schools taking part in Hedgehog Hikers will be input into the KM School Portal, with prizes awarded to the top schools.

School staff can register for the initiative by completing the form here.

The authority and the KM Charity Team hope Hedgehog Hikers will lead to schools using the latter’s Super Wow initiative for the entire academic year.

Super Wow (Walk on Wednesday) encourages families to walk to school, with classes competing each week to be awarded the Green Class of the Week Trophy. A monthly inter-school green travel challenge awards winning classes tickets to leisure attractions or visits by storytellers.

Separately, the KM Charity Team and teacher recruitment firm Three R’s are challenging New Road’s pupils to take on eco projects to help make the primary cleaner and greener.

Children are being encouraged to form groups of six and come up with projects that might include recycling campaigns or creating conservation areas or kitchen gardens.

All schemes must be located on school grounds.

The winning group will get limited edition Green Champion T-shirts.

Mr Dolby led a special assembly with Leah Mcdonald of 3R’s and the firm’s mascot, Reggie the owl, to launch the challenge.

He distributed a booklet of ideas to get children’s creative juices flowing, and said: “Having chatted to the school’s pupils and staff today, I was very impressed with the ideas their project teams will be taking on regarding energy conservation, tackling litter and greening the school with planting schemes.

“And we hope that the winning group of children will nominate themselves for our Green School awards.”

Organisations supporting green travel for schools include Whites Transport, Ashford International Hotel, Whitefriars shopping centre, Orbit, Volker Highways, Countrystyle Recycling, Golding Vision (part of Golding Homes), Specsavers, Eurostar, London Array, EduKit, and Kent, Bexley, Maidstone and Ashford councils.

Any school in Kent can challenge their School Council to take on a Green Champion initiative giving them the chance to earn Green Champion T-shirts.

Nominations for the Green School Awards close on December 7. Visit www.GreenSchoolAwards.co.uk