CHILDREN at Bidford-on-Avon CE Primary School are staying safe and keeping fit after receiving a generous donation from a house-building company.

Taylor Wimpey gave the school 50 hi-visibility vests and 300 hi-visibility slap bands to help convince urge parents to leave the car at home and walk their children to school instead.

The company is currently building new homes at its Avon Meadows development based on Waterloo Road.

Pupils at the school are already learning about road safety thanks to the Junior Road Safety Officer (JSRO) scheme which was set up by Year 3 teacher Andy Johnston.

Andy said: “We are dedicated to ensuring that our children remain safe to and from school.

“We also hope to implement a ‘park and stride’ scheme, where we will encourage parents to park at the car park behind the fire station and walk the remaining distance to school.

“I would like to thank Taylor Wimpey for their outstanding and continued support of our school and its children. We are very grateful for their donation.”

Elaine Taylor, regional sales and marketing director for Taylor Wimpey, said: “It’s astonishing that a third of Year 6 schoolchildren nationally are considered overweight or obese, yet a small amount of activity – like walking to school- can make such a difference.

“We are committed to supporting the communities in which we build our high-quality new homes, which is why we have donated hi-visibility vests and slap bands to Bidford-on-Avon C of E Primary School.

“We understand that family life can be busy, but we hope our contribution will help inspire families to swap the car for a safe walk to school instead.”