SUPPORTERS of a Petersfield school have been urged to get voting as a race to secure £30,000 for an all-weather running track has begun.

Herne Junior School (HJS) wants to shed an unwanted title as its percentage of overweight children is one of the worst in Hampshire.

It could become the opposite as pupils will be encouraged to run ‘The Golden Mile’ if plans to lay an all-weather running track around the school field are successful.

A public vote will be the first hurdle to overcome as the school is looking to secure £20,000 from the Aviva Community Fund. Dozens of community projects are battling for funds but those with the most votes will get the biggest share of the pot.

The plan to get a running track installed at HJS really took off as a result of talks between the school and the Runnyhoneys women’s running group. The campaign has been enthusiastically backed by members of the latter as some of their children are pupils at the school.

“Children don’t get the chance to go out every single day and we thought if we had an all-weather running track they could be out there rain or shine,” said HJS Headteacher Tony Markham.

“A couple of years ago we found out that HJS was the worst in East Hampshire for obesity and, obviously, we don’t want to keep that title.

“We’ve been getting quotes for running tracks but they’re around £30,000 to £40,000 but we can’t magic up that figure even with a really active community.

“So the Runnyhoneys got involved with us because if the track could be opened up for community use then it’s something they would love to support.”

Elizabeth Mant, run leader mentor at the Runnyhoneys, believes a running track would be “brilliant” for the children so there’s going to be a “big push” to get people to take part in the Aviva vote.

She said: “When we were kids we used to climb trees and play football in the street but if you look at children today they’ve got really bad posture, they’re always looking at screens and they don’t have the same movement we have.

“It’s really important to get children moving again. The field at HJS can get waterlogged and muddy so you can’t use it for most months. We’ve had a look at Liphook Junior School because they’ve got a track and we would like a facility like that.”

The school is also one of three good causes vying for funding in the latest Waitrose green token competition while further grant applications to councillors and organisations will be submitted.