Information for MPs
National Walk to School Week is 19-23 May this year. The week is a firm fixture in the primary school calendar and over two million pupils took part last year. The national launch will be held in Kensington, London on 19 May 2008, with local events held right across the UK. The theme this year is exploring the local environment through sound - at the national launch pupils will hold a musical procession playing instruments made from recycled car parts. For you, as an MP, the week is a good opportunity to get some positive coverage in your constituency and to support a campaign that encourages active, sustainable daily travel.Easy ways to get involved
• Issue the press release (on the same web page as this briefing) to your local media. Amend it as necessary and send it out.
• Show your support on your website. Promote Walk to School Week on your site. You can direct visitors to www.walktoschool.org.uk for more information.
• Tell us what you did and feature on our website. Email us with the details of how you took part and we’ll write a story about you on our website.
• Walk to school! Join your constituents and walk to school with them between 19 and 23 May.
What is Walk to School Week?
It’s a yearly focus for the Walk to School campaign, run by national charity Living Streets in conjunction with ACT Travelwise. The campaign is funded by the Department for Transport and Transport for London.
The theme of Walk to School Week changes each year; this year we’re asking pupils to make some noise about how important the journey to school is by becoming ‘sound detectives’. The campaign is enthusiastically championed around the UK by many local authorities who buy Walk to School materials from Living Streets and send them out to schools in their area. Many also run their own events to promote the campaign.
Did you know?
• The number of children travelling to school by car over the past 20 years has doubled. (Dept for Transport)
• Cars consume most fuel and pollute more at the start of their journey when the engine is cold, therefore, walking for short journeys will reduce the amount of CO2 emissions by a disproportionate amount. (Institute for European and Environmental Policy, 2007)
• Nearly 30% of children aged two to 15 are classed as overweight or obese. (Dept of Health, 2006)
About Living Streets
Living Streets works to bring our streets to life, with more walking in people-friendly public spaces. Set up in 1929 as the Pedestrians Association, we now have 98 local groups, a growing local authority membership and offices in London, Newcastle and Edinburgh.
For more information:
Email: walktoschool@livingstreets.org.uk
Tel: Louise on 020 7820 1010
