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#BigWalkandWheel #ActiveTravel #WalkToSchool #WheelToSchool #HealthyKids #SustainableTransport #SchoolRunChallenge #ActiveJourneys #CycleToSchool #GreenCommute #SustransUK #SchwalbeTyres #BeatTheTraffic #HealthyHabits #KidsOnBikes
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The Big Walk and Wheel, organized by Sustrans and sponsored by Schwalbe Tyres UK, is the UK’s largest active travel challenge for children, encouraging them to walk, wheel, scoot, or cycle to school. The event will take place from 24th March to 4th April 2025 and is open to all primary and secondary schools across the UK, including those with special educational needs. The initiative aims to promote physical and mental health, improve air quality, and reduce traffic congestion, while helping children form lifelong active travel habits. Schools can participate for free and stand a chance to win daily prizes.
Why Participate?
The Big Walk and Wheel offers numerous benefits:
- Health and Wellbeing: Active travel boosts children’s physical and mental health, improving concentration and academic performance.
- Environmental Impact: Reducing car journeys decreases CO2 emissions, contributing to cleaner air and a healthier planet.
- Habit Formation: Encouraging active travel at a young age can instill sustainable habits that last a lifetime.
- Parental Benefits: The school run by car is often stressful, with traffic and parking challenges. Walking or wheeling can make the journey more enjoyable.
Key Insights from Sustrans’ Research
A recent report by Sustrans highlights children’s travel habits and preferences:
- Active Travel Trends: 62% of children walk, wheel, or scoot to school five or more days a week, while 54% travel by car or van at the same frequency.
- Gender Gap in Cycling: Only 17% of girls cycle five or more times a week, compared to 28% of boys, indicating a need to improve access to cycling for all children.
- Demand for Safer Routes: 82% of primary-aged children and 79% of secondary students want more traffic-free paths for walking, wheeling, and cycling, suggesting that better infrastructure could encourage more active travel.
The Impact of the Big Walk and Wheel
The 2024 edition of the challenge saw impressive participation:
- 2,389,015 active travel journeys were completed, equating to 14 trips to the moon.
- 561,794 pupils participated, potentially saving 1,730,486 kg of CO2 emissions—enough to fill 8,124 single-decker buses.
What’s New in 2025?
The 2025 challenge aims to build on this success, with a focus on:
- Inclusivity: Ensuring all schools, including those with special educational needs, can participate.
- Resources and Prizes: Schools will receive resources to support participation, with daily prizes available.
- Community Engagement: Encouraging families to join in and make active travel a shared experience.
Supporting the Initiative
Rachel Toms, Director of Urbanism and UK Programmes at Sustrans, emphasizes the importance of the Big Walk and Wheel in transforming travel habits and improving communities. Tim Ward, UK Marketing Manager of Schwalbe Tyres, highlights the event’s role in promoting sustainable transport and reducing urban congestion.
Chris Boardman, National Active Travel Commissioner, praises the initiative for its potential to create healthier, greener communities by encouraging children to form active travel habits.
How to Get Involved
- Schools: Register for free and log pupils’ active journeys to compete for prizes.
- Parents: Support your child’s participation by walking, wheeling, or cycling with them.
- Communities: Advocate for safer, traffic-free routes to enable more children to travel actively.
Join the Movement
The Big Walk and Wheel is more than just a challenge—it’s an opportunity to transform the school run, improve health, and reduce environmental impact. By participating, children, families, and schools can contribute to a greener, healthier future.
Follow the conversation online using the hashtag #BigWalkandWheel and connect with Sustrans on Twitter (@sustrans) and Facebook for updates and inspiration. Let’s make the 2025 Big Walk and Wheel the biggest and most impactful yet!
