Member Article

Join Thousands of Pupils Keeping Active This Walk to School Month

A record number of schools in Northumberland from Berwick to Cramlington have signed up to Northumberland County Council’s and Go Smarter’s Walk to School Month that occurs every October.

Along with the activities that take place at schools, Northumberland County Council’s sustainability team are urging parents to keep up the momentum during half-term via its Big Northumberland Gear Change challenges.

Given that a third of all trips made in the county are less than 5km which equates to a gentle cycle or walk, The Big Northumberland Gear Change aims to get more and more people thinking twice before picking up their car keys. This simple switch will improve physical and mental health and in turn, help the environment by reducing carbon emissions, helping to achieve Northumberland’s net zero target by 2030.

Challenges include ditching your car for journeys that take 10 minutes or less, finding a new walk in your area, and swapping your car for your feet or a bike to save £100 in fuel.

Eastlea Primary School in Cramlington is an advocate for keeping children active by travelling sustainably, so much so it was recently awarded the Platinum accreditation by Modeshift STARS for its outstanding travel plans. To achieve this status, schools must deliver a minimum of 40 sustainable travel or road safety initiatives and increase the number of pupils travelling to school actively by at least 5 percent for four consecutive academic years.

Vicky Stafford, Deputy Head Teacher at Eastlea Primary School, said: “We absolutely adore getting out and about as much as possible at Eastlea, it makes such a difference to students wellbeing and overall education. Given the climate emergency, we are doing all we can to instil in children from a young age to do their bit.

“We launched our bike club for key stage two students a couple of years ago and it’s gone from strength to strength and inspired us to do even more resulting in our Platinum accreditation. We were also successful in obtaining a grant from the council this year and have purchased more bikes and bike helmets to get even more students moving.

“The Big Northumberland Gear Change initiative has been fantastic to be part of, the kids loved being videoed on their bikes and out in nature. The upcoming half-term is a great opportunity for more people to get involved. We all have to start somewhere and small changes can make a massive difference.”

Councillor Guy Renner-Thompson, cabinet member with responsibility for children’s services, added: “There are several schools across the county making huge strides in helping us reach our Net Zero target, Eastlea Primary School being a prime example.

“You can see how much the children love getting out and about and even though the dark nights are drawing in there is still so much parents can do with their families to stay active this Autumn. We hope that they will engage with the challenges and travel more sustainably in October and hopefully all year round.”

Rachael Bateman, Senior Sustainable Transport Officer at Northumberland County Council said: “The Big Northumberland Gear Change campaign has been so successful since its inception last year that it makes sense to integrate it with our Walk to School Month initiative.

“The more people can see how simple swaps can make a huge difference, the better quality of life we will have and the better our planet’s health will get. Northumberland is such a beautiful county and exploring it by bike or foot is a wonderful experience.”

Inspired by the international WOW Walk To School Month, the four week long campaign involves various activities from walking, scooting and cycling to and from school to the comical Shoesday. 29 schools (over 6,000 pupils) have signed up this year.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Rachel McBryde .