Families across Wiltshire are leaving their cars at home and stepping out on to the pavement for International Walk to School Week.

This year's International Walk to School Week, this week, focuses on raising the status of walking, by comparing it to walking down a red carpet.

In Wiltshire, 145 schools including two secondary schools, and more than 13,000 school pupils are joining an expected two million other children and their parents across the UK to leave the car at home and walk to school in support of International Walk to School Week.

Pupils at Fynamore School in Calne launched the walking week.

Those who took part in Wiltshire's Walk on Wednesday campaign last year received £5 cash prizes for walking every Wednesday throughout the Spring and Summer terms, presented by headteacher Carolyn Maddox.

She said: "As a new school in a new developing community, we try to encourage parents to let children walk to school as much as possible. Walk on Wednesday has been a great way of doing this, and the chance to win extra pocket money to keep the message going throughout the year really worked."

The campaign gives the whole school community an opportunity to be part of a global event celebrating the benefits of walking and developing school travel plans.

Wiltshire County Council cabinet member for education, William Snow said: "Walking to school has benefits for the children, parents, the school and the community. It can help children take their first steps towards being more independent and self reliant.

"Walk to School Week is invaluable in raising the awareness of walking to school so that it can be continued throughout the school year."

For older children, the school journey is often the first trip they make without their adult carers."

Regular walking to and from school can provide a good opportunity for physical activity as well as being good for the environment, and reducing school gate and traffic congestion.

The county council is urging all parents to start walking their children to school, even if it is just for the last half a mile to the school gate itself. All parents and carers can give their child the red carpet treatment, even if it is just for this week only.

The county council is using International Walk to School Week to launch its 2004/05 Walk on Wednesday campaign.

Schools receive posters and class survey charts to promote the campaign and record progress. This year, any child walking all 11 Wednesdays of the current term will receive a brand new Travelwise Bug, presented to them in January, and will be entered into another prize draw to win one of 20 £5 cash rewards.

But the county council's Liberal Democrat opposition were sceptical about the campaign.

"If Wiltshire County Council wants to encourage walking to school why do they refuse to put children's safety first? A suggestion by Lib Dem councillor Terry Chivers to bring in 20mph protection zones outside schools was rejected by the administration only last year," said Coun Trevor Carbin.

"Gimmicky campaigns are all very well but what the county needs is a consistent policy of improvement, with safe routes to schools and other facilities all year round"