A YORK boy will ensure his classmates take a step in the right direction with a competition-winning design of a giant footprint.

Charlie Fort, seven, who is a pupil at Hempland Primary School in Heworth, drew the winning entry in a competition to design a metre-long print to place on a footpath close to the school to show youngsters in the right route to take.

All of the school’s 414 youngsters voted on the competition entries and Charlie’s came out on top, landing him the prize of a giant colouring and design set, as well as the pleasure of seeing his design brought to life.

The footprints will be placed at a footpath between the school and Hempland Lane, which has been widened to provide better cycling and pedestrian access.

It is part of £20,000 of safety improvements from City of York Council’s safer routes to school budget and the local ward committee.

Much of the money has been spent on better signage and dropped kerbs on Bad Bargain Lane and Stockton Lane – both regular pedestrian routes for pupils and parents getting to and from the school.

Stuart Outram, Hempland’s head teacher, said the whole school had been involved in the footprint competition.

He said: “The path has been widened and we’re just waiting for some warmer weather for Charlie’s footprint design to be put in place.”

Ward committee funding has also paid for the purchase and planting of bulbs along the route, which it is proposed schoolchildren will be involved in over the coming months.

Ward councillor Tina Funnell said: “Bulb species could include the native daffodil, snakehead fritillary, star of Bethlehem and snowdrop, which will now be planted in the spring due to the extreme winter we’ve had.

“I think it’s wonderful how the school has given ownership of much of the plans to the pupils themselves, which I’m sure will give them a sense of pride once everything is completed.”