SCHOOLS in South Lakeland and north Lancashire have scooped awards in a national cycling challenge.

Children from schools throughout the country took part in the Big Pedal which challenges pupils to cycle or scoot the most journeys to and from school.

And students from Queen Katherine School in Kendal were crowned national champions in the secondary school category.

In the primary school section, Beetham Church of England Primary School finished in third behind Crosby-on-Eden Church of England School.

They were joined by Silverdale St John’s Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, which picked up third prize in all primary schools competing in the North West

Forty-two schools in Cumbria registered to take part in the competition. There were 138 schools across the North West participating with pupils pedalling 230,000 miles.

Statistics released by Sustrans, who organised the Big Pedal, showed that cycling to and from school every day for three weeks saved parents in the North West £30,000 in fuel costs.

They also revealed that nearly 150,000 car journeys were prevented which saved 65.2 tonnes of CO2 from being emitted into the atmosphere and 6,000 gallons of fuel from being used.

Beetham Primary headteacher Wendy Nicholas said she noticed an improvement in the ability of the school's children during the Big Pedal.

"The children said they felt much more ready for learning after they were out doing exercise," she said. "It was fantastic, we had a great response from all the children. It was timed really well because we're going into the summer term so a lot of them will carry it on."

Nikki Wingfield, area manager for Sustrans in Cumbria, said: “It’s great news that children in Cumbria are winners of this national competition.

“The popularity of The Big Pedal shows that when families live near to school it is possible change the way they get there. Children that regularly cycle to school are also fitter, more alert and better learners too.

"The rising cost of living in the UK means that parents across the country are looking for ways to cut back on costs, and the school run is the perfect place to start.”

Tim Farron, Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Westmorland and Lonsdale, said: “Many congratulations to Queen Katherine School who came first. 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 six years, but now.

"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."