Published Date: Apr 28th, 2025
Staff and pupils at a Fife primary school have had plenty to smile about after their commitment to active travel was cause for celebration on several fronts.
Mountfleurie Primary School in Leven has placed a huge emphasis on promoting active travel to its families as a safe and healthy choice for all, whilst also having benefits for the local environment.
As it is in a busy residential area where parking is limited and access roads are narrow, the school has encouraged not only young people to walk, wheel and cycle where possible but also urged parents and carers to park safely and responsibility if they do need to take the car.
This culture has reaped rewards, with Mountfleurie becoming the latest recipient of a Silver Fresh Air Frankie Award from Fife Council’s Roads and Transportation Services.
The Fresh Air Frankie Travel Tracker was launched in October 2023 and monitors how pupils travel to school as part of their commitment to encourage pupils across Fife to travel more actively during the school run.
Schools across the region have been creating groups of children dedicated to encouraging behaviour change towards active travel, known as Frankie’s Active Campaigners Team (FACT), and Mountfleurie’s has been leading the charge with a range of successful initiatives including: the creation of a park and stride site, promotion of safe routes to and from school, working with P5-7 pupils to achieve Bikeability Levels 1 and 2, earning WOW (The Walk to School Challenge) badges, and pushing the ‘Don’t Park Here’ message as part of a wider Fife Council initiative.
Mountfleurie was also recently named winner of the annual Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel competition for large schools in Fife, a result making it the fourth best in Scotland, while the school had a new cycle shelter fitted during the Easter break as part of its ongoing active travel campaign.
To celebrate all of those achievements, Fife Council’s School Travel Plan mascot Fresh Air Frankie paid Mountfleurie a visit on Friday, with the school and its most active class being presented with a range of goodies and the coveted Silver Fresh Air Frankie Award.
"We are delighted to see Mountfleurie Primary School's dedication to active travel being recognised with the Silver Fresh Air Frankie Award,” said Jane Findlay, Lead Consultation Climate Change and Partnership at Fife Council’s Roads and Transportation Services.
“Their efforts not only promote a healthier lifestyle for pupils but also contribute to a more sustainable community.
“This achievement shows the positive impact that active travel initiatives can have on our local environment and road safety.”
Andy Cargill, Depute Headteacher at Mountfleurie Primary School, added: “Active travel has massive benefits for our children’s wellbeing and with less traffic around our school makes the Mountfleurie community safer for all.
“Our FACT pupil group and staff work extremely hard to promote active travel and we are delighted to see our children and families embracing active choices.”
Our photo above shows Fresh Air Frankie outside the new bike shelter alongside Mountfleurie’s Active Travel Co-ordinators (from left to right) Poppi Black, Evie Anderson, Laya Goodall, and Edyn O'Hara; and also in a photo with the school’s most active class who picked up some prizes on the day (below).
