Dozens of pupils from Orchid Vale Primary School in Swindon cycled and scooted to school to mark this year’s Cycle to School Week (23 - 27 September).
Despite a soggy start to the day, staff, parents and carers joined the children for the journey to school and there was a real sense of fun. Tips on cycling safely were shared and it was a great opportunity to enjoy the advantages of cycling to school.
The annual event is organised by the government-funded Bikeability Trust which aims to improve road safety and provides bicycle training for children around the country. Nationally, nearly 19,000 children have learnt to ride through the Get Cycling in Schools programme.
In 2023 the Bikeability Trust received a record £29 million from the Department for Transport to deliver cycle training.
Since 2007, over 5 million children have taken part in Bikeability training.
Ruth Lee, Head Teacher, Orchid Vale Primary School said: “Everyone really enjoyed joining up with friends and families for the ride to school. Cycling to school is a great way to get to class and is healthier and better for the environment.
“The children get a lot of confidence from riding with others, and they also learn about road safety at the same time.”.
If just one child swapped being driven for cycling to school, it would save half a tonne of carbon, and if every child who has ever taken part in Bikeability cycled to school for a year it would save 2.5 million tonnes of carbon from car-based school commutes. It would take 40 million trees to absorb that amount of carbon.
For more information visit @Bikeability
Your Comments
Be the first to comment on this article
Login or Register to post a comment on this article