Kids, teachers, councillors and representatives from Living Streets have got together to celebrate Walk to School Week in Gilwern by walking along an upgraded walking route.

They were joined by ‘Strider’, the Walk to School mascot of Living Streets Walking Charity, which works with Gilwern School to support and encourage walking to school.

Using the Welsh Government’s Active Travel Fund, a popular path in Gilwern has been upgraded to help improve access for local residents to get to and from the local primary school from homes east of Gilwern.

The path, running parallel to Ty Mawr Road, provides an improved walking route away from the road. The original path was weathered, leaving a rough and unusable route.

This scheme has upgraded the path, so it is now surfaced and provides improved accessibility through the year, especially for those using wheelchairs, mobility scooters and pushchairs. To mitigate any impact on the ground, surrounding plants, trees and wildlife the path is of a ‘no-dig’ construction style meaning the path is laid on top of the existing ground rather than digging down into the ground.

The works included:

· Widening the path

· Installation of a machine-laid, porous surface

· Addition of tactile pads on crossing points at either end of the path

Monmouthshire County Council Cabinet Member for Rural Affairs, Housing and Tourism, Cllr Sara Burch, said: “Upgrades like these are vital to enable as many of us as possible to use active travel for our day-to-day journeys.

“With warmer weather hopefully on the way, I can’t wait to see how the path is used by residents and visitors.

“Llanelly Community Council were clear that this path was a priority for action, and I am glad that we have been able to complete it.”