Farron praises Kendal school who have won national cycling challenge

Tim Farron has praised a Kendal school has taken first prize in a national challenge, in which schools compete to cycle or scoot the most journeys to school.

The Big Pedal is the UK's biggest inter-school cycling and scooting competition run by Sustrans, and backed by Olympic champion Sharron Davies MBE.

Queen Katherine School came top in the country for the 10-day challenge for secondary school classes.

Meanwhile, Silverdale St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School picked up third prize in the north west primary schools category.

This year, more than half a million pupils took part, and together with parents and teachers cycled and scooted nearly one and a half million journeys to school and back.

In Cumbria 42 schools registered to take part in the competition.

Tim said: "Many congratulations to Queen Katherine School who have won this award. It is good news for Kendal and our area. I want to make the commitment to at least £10 per head funding to make safe cycling within the UK as soon as possible - not in 6 years, but now. I think Cumbria can lead the way and I will be pressing for this to happen at both a local and national level.

If we want to encourage the growth we have seen in cycling in recent years, we need to do more to create the local infrastructure to support that."