A new Park and Stride scheme has been launched at St Meriadoc Nursery and Infants School in Camborne which means that parents can now park in the nearby Aldi car park and walk the last part of the way to school.

St Meriadoc Nursery and Infants School, which has around 160 students, already has a School Travel Plan which documents aims and objectives to reduce car use and promote sustainable travel; walking, cycling, bus, train, car sharing, for the school journey.

The school is sited on Rectory Road in Camborne, a highly populated residential area, and staff have become very concerned with the congestion and safety at the school gates at the beginning and end of the school day. They hope providing an alternative place to park will help cut congestion and make the school gates a safer place for the children.

With the support of the Travel Awareness Team at Cornwall County Council the school contacted Aldi to ask whether parents would be able to park in its car park.

Cheryl Buckingham, manager of the Camborne Aldi store agreed, meaning parents can now park in the car park in the mornings and afternoons and walk the last part of the journey to the school.

The store is situated on the busy Church Road, approximately 350 metres from the school. There is a school crossing patrol on Church Road as well as a Pelican crossing, also a school crossing patrol on Rectory Road closer to the school. This means that there is a safe route to walk all the way from the car park to the school.

The school has produced parking permits for parents so they can keep a record of who is using the scheme. Parents wishing to use the scheme must obtain a parking permit from the school's reception and fill out a form stating their child's name, class and car registration.

The permits allow parents to park their cars in the car park for a maximum of two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon.

Natalie King, School Travel Plan Officer, said: "The new Park and Stride scheme is designed to ease traffic congestion and improve the safety at the school gate. We hope that all students that currently get driven to school will take part in this scheme. It will not only improve safety but it will also enable parents and students to enjoy the benefits of walking to school."

Irene Pooley, headteacher, said: "I would like to express my sincere thanks to the manager of Aldi for agreeing to allow our parents to park in their car park. We aim to encourage our children to follow a healthy lifestyle and this is one way of promoting fewer cars, less fumes around the school and more active pupils."