Special guests help launch Walk to School Week

Mayor of South Yorkshire, Oliver Coppard and Ed Clancy lead pupils in an assembly

Joseph Locke Primary School and Marlcliffe Primary School both take part in WOW – the walk to school challenge from Living Streets, delivered in partnership with South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority with funding from Active Travel England. 

In England, 41 per cent of 5–10-year-olds are normally driven to school , however at the end of the spring term, 85 per cent of journeys to Joseph Locke Primary School and 90 per cent of journeys to Marlcliffe Primary School were active, meaning pupils either walked, wheeled, cycled, scooted or used Park and Stride.’ 

Marlcliffe Primary School also recently celebrated being one of the ten schools featured on the national WOW Top Ten leaderboard.

The Mayor of South Yorkshire used the visit to launch the region’s own Walk and Wheel Challenge. 

South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard said:

“We need to make sure that everyone in South Yorkshire has freedom and choice about how to travel and move, every day. That’s important at every age and stage of life, but nowhere is it more important than with our kids at school.

“Active travel is central to my vision of a better-connected South Yorkshire, but we simply must create a new generation who see the alternatives to just jumping in the car as an obvious first choice.

“That’s why we’re going to make South Yorkshire the best place in the country for children to walk, wheel and cycle, and why we’re now launching my Mayor’s Walk and Wheel challenge this Walk to School Week.”

New research  released for Walk to School Week finds parents in Yorkshire and the Humber are most put off walking to school by cars parking on the pavement (31%), lack of safe crossings (26%), lack of time (26%) and unsafe driving speeds (24%). 

But there are also clear advantages when children do walk. Parents and carers were asked what benefits their child experiences from walking regularly. Respondents in Yorkshire and the Humber answered physical health benefits (77%), improved wellbeing (67%) and quality time spent with family (66%). 

Jim Shaw, Project Coordinator (South Yorkshire), Living Streets said:

“Getting out of the front door in the morning with kids can be hectic, so it’s no surprise that parents say a lack of time stops them walking to school.

"However, walking the last ten minutes can still provide families with all those health and happiness benefits in the same time that they would have been sitting in traffic. Walk to School Week is the perfect opportunity to give a new routine a try.”

Ed Clancy visited Marlcliffe Primary School in Sheffield