A competition is being launched to encourage youngsters to cycle to school by winning a new bike.

The Broadwalk Centre in Edgware is starting a Bike to School Week.

The shopping centre is giving away four new bicycles - two for primary school pupils and two for older students in secondary education.

The competition is part of the shopping centre’s environmental ‘Love Your World’ campaign.

Centre manager at The Broadwalk Centre, Angela Brooks said: “With emission and global warming reports hitting the headlines on an all too frequent basis, we recognise just how important reducing our carbon footprint is in today’s society.

“Reports suggest that just 2-3 per cent of UK children cycle to school, compared to nearly 50 per cent of Dutch school children.

“The launch of our Bike to School competition is therefore just one of the many ways we are trying to help the community within our ongoing ‘Love Your World’ campaign and I hope that everyone takes the time to enter to win one of our four amazing prizes.”

The centres says that with around 95,000 children living in the London Borough of Barnet, cycling to school could drastically cut air pollution and road congestion.

The Broadwalk Centre’s Bike to School competition will launch on Saturday, May 5 when promotional staff will be on hand at the shopping centre to hand out loyalty cards and other cycle-related freebies to shoppers.