A total of 18,000 Nottingham pupils are planning to walk to school at least once a week for the next 10 weeks. Their pledge marks the start of Nottingham City Council's annual Footprints campaign that has brought a 20 per cent cut in school car trips over the past four years.

Each week pupils from 61 of the city's 118 primary schools will receive stickers for their brightly coloured Walking Passport to show they have completed their Footprints walk that week.

This is the fourth year Nottingham pupils have taken part in the City Council's Footprints campaign to increase the numbers of children who walk to school. The theme this year is to get ahead of the CARbon race by reducing carbon emissions from vehicles and congestion, reducing individual carbon footprints and cutting the number of cars on the roads.

Councillor David Mellen, Nottingham City Council's Portfolio holder for Children's Services, said: "This is the fourth year of the City Council's Footprints campaign and each year our annual count of the children who walk to school shows an increase of approximately 5 per cent year on year. It helps reduce peak-time congestion in the city, helps reduce Nottingham's carbon footprint in the country and the planet, and also helps keep our children healthy as they walk more."