From Monday 24th March, children from more than 2,500 schools begin participating in the 16th Big Walk and Wheel, organised by Sustrans.
This represents over 830,000 pupils who will be walking, wheeling, scooting and cycling to school for two weeks, until Friday 4th April.
Children from Bunscoil Cholmcille, Derry
On each day of the challenge schools will compete to see who can get the highest percentage of their pupils using active travel to get to school. Any schools from which more than 15% of pupils use active travel will be entered into a daily prize draw for appropriate prizes.
Prizes that schools could win include a bespoke set of playground markings from the WJ Group, bikes, scooters, safety equipment and bike storage solutions.
Sustrans recently published their first Children’s Walking and Cycling Index, sponsored by Halfords, which revealed that while active travel accounts for 43% (primary) and 42% (secondary) of trips to school, there is still a reliance on the car, especially for primary school pupils, 40% of who are driven.
Rachel Toms, Director of Urbanism and UK Programmes at Sustrans, said: ‘People want a choice in how they get around, and the popularity of Sustrans’ Big Walk and Wheel is testament to the many benefits of travelling actively – from improved health and concentration in children to a reduction in congestion and air pollution.
‘Our latest research gives us a clear picture: children want to walk and cycle. Sustrans is committed to working with communities to overcome existing travel barriers and the Big Walk and Wheel is a catalyst for change.
‘It’s so inspiring to see the many thousands of children from schools across the country who participate, and we can’t wait to see this year’s Big Walk and Wheel transform the school run.’
Pupils made 2,389,015 active travel journeys over the course of last year’s Big Walk and Wheel, equivalent to 14 trips to the moon. This represents a saving of 1,730,486 kg of CO2 emissions, based on approximations of assumed modes of travel.
For the fourth year running, Schwalbe Tyres are the main sponsors of the event. Tim Ward, their UK Marketing Manager said: ‘We are tremendously encouraged by how much this event has developed and progressed since we started our involvement with this valuable initiative.
‘The focus that Big Walk & Wheel brings to encouraging both school children and parents alike to actively consider and participate in sustainable transport efforts cannot be underestimated. Pollution aside, we are all aware of the amount of traffic congestion that can be associated with the school run, especially in dense urban areas.
‘Encouraging children to travel to school in a sustainable way, whether in organised groups such as the Bike Bus concept that we support with the ‘FRideDays’ bike bus initiative, or individually, can ultimately only benefit the health and wellbeing of everyone.’
Photos: Stephen Latimer