Around 1, 500 Hampshire schoolchildren are to be shown the importance of wearing cycling helmets.

A team of personal injury specialists at Access Legal from Shoosmiths will visit eight of the county's primary schools to tie-in with Bike to School Week, which runs from 21-25 March.

Sarah Lake, head of Consumer Litigation Services' Mixed Liability department, will lead a team using an interactive presentation to show seven to 11-year-old pupils why they should wear helmets when cycling.

They will get their message across with help from a specially-created character called 'Eggward', whose fragility demonstrates how cycling helmets offer protection.

All pupils who attend the presentations will receive a certificate, and a cycling safety quiz book.

They will also be able to enter a competition to design a poster that helps get across the cycling helmet safety message.

Sarah said: "This is a great opportunity to reiterate a really important safety message that will help keep children safe and hopefully prevent serious injuries in the future.

"The timing is important, too, not just because it'll be Bike to School Week, but because children riding when it's dark - maybe on the way to and from school - are obviously much more vulnerable."

Access Legal from Shoosmiths' schools tour starts at Sherborne St. John School, on 14 March.

Bike to School Week is run by sustainable transport group Sustrans, and aims to promote the benefits of children cycling to school.