It may have been pouring with rain but that did not stop up to 50 children cycle to their Gorleston school to celebrate their remarkable biking success.

It may have been pouring with rain but that did not stop up to 50 children cycle to their Gorleston school to celebrate their remarkable biking success.

Since September the number of youngsters at Cliff Park Junior School who cycle to school has more than doubled from 20 to 50.

The dramatic uptake in cycling is due to the Bike It programme which has increased the number of children pedalling nationally to school from 2pc to 8pc.

In the Yarmouth area 11 schools are involved in the Bike it scheme which was set up by sustainable transport charity Sustrans and is run locally by Norfolk County Council and NHS Yarmouth and Waveney.

Bike It helps funds cycle storage space at schools, trains youngsters how to make sure their bikes are safe to use and teach them how to cycle safely.

On Friday Bike It officer for Yarmouth Kevin House visited Cliff Park to celebrate its Ride to School day and help pupils repair punctured tyres and check their bike brakes.

He also encouraged parents to ditch the school run and let their children cycle to Cliff Park, which has 360 pupils on its books.

Mr House said: “The big thing is to get the parents on board. Ask a classroom of children if they would like to cycle to school and nearly half the class would enthusiastically stick their hands in the air.

“Cycling to school gets children active and improves their health.

“Cliff Park has been very proactive in Bike It project and it is a beacon for other schools in the area.”

Gorleston police have donated five bikes to the school in support of the Bike It scheme.