KILMACOLM primary pupils are on the march for a mile a day to get a head start towards a healthy life.

Youngsters at the newly refurbished primary school are among the first in Inverclyde to take on the daily mile challenge.

When the bell goes the whole school are off on their mile, in all weathers.

They are aiming to cover the 5,274 miles that would take them to their sister school Phinda in Malawi.

Primary four teacher Ailie Grant, leading the initiative along with her colleague

Lynn McPherson, said: “The pupils just love putting on their coats and getting out there on the multi-use games pitch. They get to burn off all their energy.

“Then when they get back to the classroom they are ready to concentrate.

“It is a great initiative and benefits everyone.”

Head teacher Simone McCreadie is delighted to see her pupils and staff embracing a small change that is reaping rewards.

She said: “We can see the results already.

“It is a very simple idea and it works.”
Primary four pupil Ailish Osborne, primary five pupil Mahri Gilbert and Jules Gaston are all up for the challenge.

Jules, nine, said: “It is great to get out the class for a little while.”

The school will feed its completed distance into the Inverclyde Million Mile Challenge recently launched by Provost Robert Moran.

It brings groups across the area together to enjoy a healthy living initiative and work towards a target.

By next June it’s hoped people in Inverclyde — including the Kilmacolm kids — will have clocked up a million miles between them.