Active travel launch at Rigside Primary School

Pupils try out one of five new benches installed to encourage people to walk for short journeys.

It is, in fact, items acquired through the recent Make Your Way Rigside project which aims to improve local walking and cycling opportunities, as well as helping the environment.

The items were celebrated in an active travel launch attended by 22 residents, including Rigside Primary School pupils and staff, Councillor Mark Horsham, Councillor Colin McGavigan and representatives from South Lanarkshire Council and Healthy Valleys.

Hazel Pringle, the Healthy Valleys Active Travel Officer, was also on hand to offer free eBike trials to members of the local community.

All primary school pupils took part in Police Scotland Road Safety workshops and had the chance to get their bikes security marked. Prizes were awarded to four pupils who took part in a competition to design a poster promoting the new benches.

A total of 25 new and reconditioned bikes, as well as pumps and lights, were gifted to Rigside Primary School pupils as part of the Scottish Cycling Rock Up and Ride and Make Your Way programmes, including two bikes for use by teachers to help deliver Bikeability in future years.

The community and primary school pupils voted for the installation of five new benches to help people walk more for short journeys locally. A solar powered bin – a first for rural Clydesdale – was added to the list after a community litter pick highlighted an issue with littering.

The benches and bin were funded by South Lanarkshire Council Renewable Energy Fund and installed by South Lanarkshire Council Grounds Services.

Locations for a new active travel mapboard, highlighting existing routes and their level of difficulty and bike rack were included in the consultation. The bike rack was installed with the assistance of the council. The active travel map can be viewed at www.makeyourwayclydesdale.com.

Ali Mechan, headteacher at Rigside, said: “The development work done in partnership with the Make Your Way team this term allowed for our pupils to become actively involved in the consultation process. This was an opportunity to use pupil’s voices to influence positive change.”