Pupils and parents say a new footpath to Llantarnam Community Primary School has transformed their journeys to school.

The 180-metre-long path from Court Farm Road goes alongside the site of a proposed 3G pitch on the site of the former Llantarnam Comprehensive School playing pitches. It was completed by Torfaen Council earlier this month, using a Welsh Government Active Travel grant and Safer Routes in Communities funding.

The path forms part of a larger active travel network in Oakfield, Cwmbran, with plans for several other sections to be developed over the next couple of years.

Parent Claire Stinton-Winfield said: “The new path is brilliant. It has taken around 10 minutes off our journey and my daughter is over the moon because now she gets to ride her scooter home from nursery every day and she’s able to speed off ahead with her friends and I don’t have to worry because I know she’s safe.

“My sister is also over the moon with it. Her son has autism and he gets really overstimulated walking anywhere near the roads when cars go passed because the noise is just too much for him.

“He’s managed to walk home a few times now using the new path and we don’t have to worry about him getting overwhelmed and running off because of car noises. So they’ve gone from using the car every day to being able to walk safely most days.”

Mum Kirsty Arnold added: “We have a lot less roads to cross with the new path so its a lot safer for my two children on their bikes. It’s also a quicker route and only takes us five minutes.”

Around half of pupils already regularly travelled to school by foot or bike, but the footpath has led to an increase with pupils and staff using the new footpath.

Headteacher Laura Perrett said: “We’re delighted to have additional pedestrian access to our school and the numbers of people using the path as already led to a noticeable reduction of vehicles on our school site.”

Councillor Mandy Owen, executive member for the environment said: “It’s great to see the new active travel route is having such a positive immediate impact.

“The theme of this week’s Walk to School Week is Walk with Wildlife and walking provides great opportunities for children to enjoy the wide variety of insects, animal and plants on their doorsteps. I hope this will help them develop a lifelong connection with their local environment.”