Page 13 - link magazine

swindonlink.com • May 2008 13
Council website connects motorists as petrol prices set to rise

With a litre of petrol at £1.07 and diesel now £1.16, and higher prices predicted - compared to an average price of 91.35p a year ago - sharing
fuel costs could make a real difference to your bank balance.
Swindon Borough Council has the scheme means less sharing their daily journey. It takes
set up a car-sharing scheme which congestion and pollu- just a few moments to register and
offers a network so that people can tion, and a lower carbon you don’t even need to own a car
match journey destinations and footprint. to take part. The other great thing
passengers to help reduce the cost The software behind about carshareswindon.com is that
of motoring. Register your journey the system is now used you decide when and with whom
details free of charge at: www.car- in over 200 car-sharing you share. Why not start off by shar-
shareswindon.com schemes across the UK ing your journey to work just once
The system tells you if anyone with some 220,000 reg- a week and go from there?”
else is going in the same direction, istered members. This Free offer: The first 1,000 people to
leaving it up to you to make con- means users are not restricted to are considerable benefits to joining. register at www.carshareswindon.
tact through a secure messaging sharing in their own area. “A typical carshareswindon.com com can claim a free cotton shop-
service. Marc Argent, Swindon Council’s member can save around £1,000 ping bag to help Swindon to cut
As well as reducing travel costs, Travel Awareness Officer, said there and a tonne of CO2 every year by down on single use plastic bags.
Leg power rules during W2S week

Children across Swindon will be urging parents to leave the car at home during a week in May.
The campaign runs from 19 to in Swindon; W2S week organisers Swindon Council’s School Travel children from various points and
23 May and this year focuses on hope many more will join in during Advisor Jane Deeley said, “walk- accompany them to school along a
exploring the local environment the week, and beyond. ing is the most environmentally set route. This gives children the op-
through sound. Pupils are being friendly form of transport; it’s a portunity to enjoy all the benefits of
asked to become ‘sound detectives’ great way to keep fit and healthy walking - healthy exercise, fun and
and pay special attention to the dif- and can offer children a degree of friendship whilst safely supervised
ferent types of street noise they hear independence.” by responsible adults.
as they walk to school. Those families who live a long Jane said that parents also benefit
Some 50 Swindon schools have way from school, or drop off chil- from walking buses as it gives them
signed up to take part. Pupils will dren on the way to work, can join a little extra time in the morning
all receive activity packs, and many in one of the many ‘Park & Stride’ without the hassle of driving and
schools are arranging assemblies, schemes, where arrangements have parking at school, although they
competitions and special events to been made for parents to park safely can offer to help out with the bus
get over the message that walking is off-road in a local car park a short when possible.
both healthy and safe for children. walk from the school gate. For details call Jane Deeley on
Currently around 60 per cent of Some schools are also setting 466335.
children regularly walk to school Greenmeadow kids show how it’s done up walking buses, which pick up www.walktoschool.org.uk

Ready steady cook at Millbrook

Youngsters and their parents jumped at the chance to taste frogs legs
when chefs from Swindon College visited Millbrook Primary in
Freshbrook for a live cooking roadshow at the end of term.
The evening began
with a brief introduc-
tion to the healthy
eating programme
for schools from chef
lecturer, Steve Mat-
thews, followed by
a cooking demonstra-
tion. Two of his fellow
lecturers, cooking on
portable gas stoves,
made pasta with
pancetta, leek and
mushrooms.
To encourage peo-
ple to be more adven-
turous in their food
choices, the chefs
brought out frogs legs College lecturers Paul Kelly and Sian Vockins with
which were passed eager young cooks from Millbrook Primary
round for inspection before they lected children to whip up a wild
were cooked. mushroom risotto and chicken
”A lot more people than I expect- with stir fried vegetables which
ed tried the frogs legs,” said Mill- was then tasted by members of the
brook’s healthy school co-ordinator, audience.
Eileen Pringle. “I didn’t though; I Ms Pringle said she was looking
couldn’t get the image of frogs in forward to the Swindon College
my garden out of my mind.” chefs returning to do some cooking
TRAVELWISE with a Ready, Steady, Cook chal- hold another Ready, Steady, Cook
The evening was rounded off with the children, and would like to
R
lenge. Chefs were joined by se- event in the future.
ART1216 / 08

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