Markyate Village School and Nursery pupils' art used to make subway more attractive place to walk through

Artwork from pupils at Markyate Village School and Nursery has been used to make the subway close to the school a much more attractive place to walk through.

The school, in Markyate, has been educating their pupils about climate change, clean air and how small actions such as leaving the car at home and walking to school can all help to make a difference.

Now they are putting their learning into action, by encouraging active travel through the improvement of the subway.

A whole school competition was run for pupils to design posters about what they have learnt in their lessons about looking after the planet and their favourite places to visit in the local area.

As part of Hertfordshire County Council’s Local Transport Plan, the local subway has recently been given a new lease of life as part of a countywide programme to brighten and improve walking routes and make walking and cycling a more attractive option for residents.

As part of this initiative, frames have been installed in the subway to display the colourful and thought-provoking art from the students, giving the subway a real connection to the to the local community.

The winning entries from the competition were chosen by the School Governors and are now on display – do go and have a look.

Councillor Terry Douris, Cabinet Member for Education, Libraries and Lifelong Learning and the Local Hertfordshire County Councillor said: “Young people today have a fantastic awareness of the environment and how they can make a difference.

"I am keen to support projects involving schools and their pupils that make the local area cleaner and greener, and encourage more people to walk especially for shorter local journeys.

"There are so many health benefits of walking, cycling and scooting and pupils at Markyate are taking the lead by creating beautiful images for the subway located close to their school.”

The head teacher of Markyate Village School and Nursery, Laura Johnson said: “We are all learning about the impact of climate change on our world. Let's all work to protect our planet, as together, we all can make a big difference.”