Ditch that car and walk to school once a week!

The ‘Walk Once a Week’ scheme run by Living Streets has just been awarded £800, 000 by the Department of Health to expand the scheme to at least 900 more schools across England, including schools in the West Midlands as well as Greater Manchester, Tyne and Wear and Merseyside, where levels of childhood obesity are higher.

The scheme, which is currently running in schools across all London boroughs, encourages families to ditch the car and walk their children to school once a week. Children who walk to school one day a week are rewarded with a collectable metal badge for each month they take part.

Tony Armstrong, Chief Executive of Living Streets said:

“Increasing activity levels and reducing the risk of obesity is one of the major priorities for anyone involved in children’s health or education today.  But it’s often hard to know what actually works, and what to prioritise from tight budgets. 

“Walking to school is one of the best ways to get everyday activity into families’ lives- good for health, and making a positive difference in reducing congestion, pollution and carbon.  It’s also a great way to spend real quality time with your children.  Every school can take part in Walk Once a Week - we want even more children and families to take part this year.  Details of how to get involved can be found on our website.”

Details of which schools in Greater Manchester will be participating in the scheme have yet to be announced but lets hope the scheme is a success and that similar schemes can be developed in Greater Manchester to encourage parents try cycle with their children to school.