A new walking and cycling bridge at Argoed has been officially opened by charity Sustrans, Caerphilly County Borough Council and pupils from Markham Primary school.
Pupils also revealed the name for the bridge, chosen themselves, as Quoits Wood Crossing.
Charity Sustrans and players from the Newport Gwent Dragons joined the pupils along with Chris Evans MP, Gwyn Price AM and Mark Drakeford AM.
The bridge is a traffic-free route allowing walkers, cyclists and horse riders to travel between Blackwood and Markham on National Cycle Network Route 467.
Lee Waters, Sustrans Cymru Director, said: “If we create the right space for cycling in, and give people the skills and encouragement to get on their bikes, then more people will cycle for their shorter, everyday journeys.
“Safety is the biggest concern that stops many of us from cycling more often, so investing in safer routes is vital for increasing the proportion of daily journeys done by bike.”
“Creating safer and more attractive routes that connect people travelling on foot and bike to their schools, work, home or the shops give people more choice about how they make short, everyday journeys.
“The new bridge at Argoed does just that and will be of huge benefit to local people because of it.”
Markham Primary School pupils were asked to research and choose a name for the bridge that captured the history and significance of the area.
They picked Quoits Wood Crossing as Argoed was once a famous place for playing the traditional game of Quoits and the World Championships were held there.
Pupils Emily Jones and Holly Horton, said: “It has been brilliant to have the chance to name a bridge. We researched lots of information about the area to come up with names, so it helped us learn more about where we live.”
The new bridge has been funded through the Valleys Regional Parks initiative, the Welsh Government and the European Regional Development Fund to enhance the potential of tourism in the Valleys.
Cllr Rob Gough, Caerphilly County Borough Council’s cabinet member fpr transportation, said: “We are delighted to have worked in partnership with Sustrans Cymru to deliver this impressive project and I’m sure this safe, sustainable route will bring benefits the whole community.
“The new bridge is the ‘missing link’ along this important route and will enhance the cycle and walking network across the valleys. I’d like to thank our funding partners for making the plans a reality and we now look forward to delivering even more improvements like this across county borough.”
Islwyn MP Chris Evans added: “The new bridge is fantastic news for the residents of Argoed and I was delighted to attend the grand
opening.
“It provides another connection between Argoed and Blackwood and now residents can even cycle to Blackwood.
“The amount of schoolchildren and local residents who turned up to see the new bridge just goes to show what fantastic community spirit the area has.”