We are inviting all primary and secondary schools to take part in a fun active travel competition this October as part of International Walk to School Month.
Little Trekkers, for primary schools, and Striders, for secondary schools, will both run from Monday, 6 October to Friday, 10 October.
For both categories, the school which achieves the highest percentage of active travel journeys will receive a Halfords voucher worth £500, second place will receive a £300 voucher and third place will receive a £200 voucher. The most improved school will also receive a £100 Halfords voucher.
The challenges encourage pupils and their families to choose active travel when travelling to and from school. On each day, schools will record how many pupils travelled to school using active methods, including:
- Walking,
- Wheeling,
- Cycling,
- Scooting, and
- Park and stride (walking the last 10 minutes of the journey).
To take part schools need to register before Monday, 6 October. The registration forms can be found on our website here, and should be returned to TransportInitiatives@Medway.gov.uk.
Once registered schools will receive access to free resources to help them promote the challenge and track their results.
We will also be supporting the Bikeability Cycle to School Week this October, running from Monday, 13 to Friday, 17 October. This is a fun, week-long celebration designed to encourage pupils, families, and staff to saddle up and give cycling or scooting to school a go. To get involved, individuals or schools can simply make a pledge here, with free resources available once they sign-up.
Wish the best of luck to everyone
Cllr Simon Curry, Medway Council’s Portfolio Holder for Climate Change and Strategic Regeneration, said: “It is great to see these fantastic competitions coming back to Medway in support of International Walk to School Month. We want to encourage people to choose active travel whenever possible, and competitions like Little Trekkers, Striders and Cycle to School Week are a great platform to get our children and young people involved and set those good habits from a young age. I hope as many of you as possible are able to take part during October – and I want to wish the best of luck to everyone who will be taking part!”
Our Sustainable Transport Team focuses on road safety education, public transport and active travel initiatives. The team encourage a number of active travel initiatives throughout the year which can be found in our Active School Travel Guide, including the Living Streets WOW campaign, Modeshift STARS and more.
Our road safety officers also visit schools throughout the year to teach children about the importance of road safety and valuable lessons about crossing the road, independent travel and more.
Learn more more about road safety in Medway.
Find out more about Little Trekkers and Striders and register to take part.