National Walk to School Week 22 - 26 May
Thursday, May 18 2006
Twenty-six primary schools in the Scottish Borders region have signed up to participate in next week's National Walk to School Week which is being promoted by Scottish Borders Council.
The campaign reminds pupils and parents of the health and environmental advantages of walking to school, and re-enforces messages of road safety. Jenny Bagnall, SBC's School Travel Co-ordinator, said, "The response to National Walk to School Week from children and parents has been great. The Borders schools will be joining thousands of others across Britain in promoting the campaign. Even if a child's school is not participating in Walk to School Week, parents can still support the campaign by walking to school anyway or arranging for their child to walk with another trusted person."
Brian Young, Programming and Commissioning Manager for Technical Services, said, "Walk to School Week is good for the environment, good exercise and helps children to gain essential traffic safety skills which are lost if they are driven to school every day."
Many parents and children in the Borders already walk to school, but during walk to school week more are being encouraged to do so. The message is that if the distance to school is too far to walk all of the way, why not drive part of the way, and then walk the last bit?
During Walk to School Week, Irene Hogg, Headteacher at Glendinning Terrace Primary School in Galashiels, will not only be encouraging her pupils to walk, but her pupils will be sponsoring her to walk to school from Bowden village, approximately 10 miles away, to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation.
Councillor Gordon Edgar, SBC's Executive Spokesman for Transport, said, "We expect to see a big reduction in the number of cars outside schools in the Borders. Encouraging children to walk to school is an investment in their future. If parents walk to school with their children from a young age, it enables them to develop the necessary skills to make their own journeys in the future."
The campaign is co-ordinated jointly by the 'National Travelwise Association' (a partnership of local government authorities
working to promote more sustainable modes of transport in the UK) and 'Living Streets' (a major campaign of The Pedestrian's
Association).
For more information please contact Jenny Bagnall, SBC School Travel Co-ordinator, on 01835 824000 Ext 5876.
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