Primary school children are being encouraged to scoot to school to boost their health and help the environment.

Wigan Council's Be Well service has teamed up with Micro Scooters UK to provide free scooters and helmets to local schools.

This initiative aims to promote scooting as a fun and eco-friendly alternative to car travel.

Scootability training has already benefitted no fewer than 20 Wigan Borough primary schools this year.

Each of these schools will now receive two scooter and helmet packs, worth £100 each, for use in playgrounds or scoot-to-school schemes.

Councillor Jenny Bullen, cabinet portfolio holder for children and families, said: "It’s so important for children to be physically active, and the daily commute to school is a good opportunity to introduce more movement into their routine.

"Scooting makes the journey to and from school fun, and also benefits the environment by cutting fuel emissions – helping us create greener, cleaner communities.

"But not everyone has access to a scooter, so the partnership between Be Well and Micro Scooters UK will help encourage more families to choose active travel where possible."

The Scootability training, delivered in partnership with Team Rubicon, helps children in Years 1 to 3 learn crucial safety habits and develop skills and knowledge to use scooters as a means of active travel.

The initiative is supported by funding from Transport for Greater Manchester, with schools selected based on their location and proximity to Bee Network infrastructure schemes.

A successful trial involving 12 priority schools took place in May, and a further eight have already participated in sessions this academic year.

Micro Scooters UK has donated 20 scooter and helmet packs to these schools, along with another 16 for the council’s Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme, which supports low-income families during the school holidays.

Ben Gibson, managing director at Micro Scooters UK, said: "At Micro Scooters, we’ve always believed in getting kids outdoors and moving safely.

"Through our partnership with Wigan Council's Be Well team, we’re able to offer scooters to children who may not have access to them, while teaching essential safety skills."

One of the schools that has benefitted is RL Hughes Primary School in Ashton-in-Makerfield.

Headteacher Monica Middlehurst said: "The children in Year 1 had a fantastic time during their Scootability training.

"The sessions were engaging, interactive and fun and the children benefitted from learning key skills such as balance, signalling and hazard awareness.

"We’re really pleased with our new scooters and helmets and we’ll certainly be putting them to good use."