SNP Councillor Drew Hendry

I was delighted to be asked to officially open the new "Drop off" point near Farr primary school in my ward of Aird and Loch Ness. Many people had worked hard to finally deliver this innovative solution to improving safety for children accessing the school and it has been a pleasure to help them whilst watching a school and community achieving this together.

Farr is an older school built long before today's traffic levels would have even been considered possible and as such was built on a raised area and near a bend in the road. When parents were dropping off pupils previously they had the joint problem of blocking up and double parking at the small school entrance and having to watch out for non school traffic, often travelling too fast for comfort.

Whilst discussing the issue with the headteacher, Sheila Lamont, in 2007, we chatted about how we might look at other ways to solve the problem and came up with an idea to investigate using the nearby community woodland (which is adjacent to the school). So the plan began to evolve. 3 years later and with huge support from Strathnairn Community Woodlands, spearheaded by Peter Christie and Donald Longden, Highland council's safer routes to school, the parent council, local community leaders and Sheila's and her staff's own efforts the drop off point is now a reality.

Pupils can now enjoy being dropped off safely near the school, play in a safe area whilst waiting and then join a "Walking Bus" with a teacher for the short and pleasant walk through the wood to school each morning. Early signs are that parents are adapting well to the idea and pupils are enjoying it immensely.

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