Active travel high on the agenda for Sheffield schools

19th June 2019

More than 100 schools across Sheffield and South Yorkshire are encouraging parents and pupils to find fun and engaging ways of increasing their physical activity levels on their journey to school, in a 10-day challenge which forms part of the city's Move More Month initiative.

Across the region, the scheme will generate approximately 3,000 extra active travel journeys each day, making a huge difference to road safety around schools, air quality as well as increasing levels of physical activity and wellbeing. Events and activities including Active Travel Breakfasts, Cycle Skills sessions, Five Minute Walk Zones, and walk to school initiatives such as Masked Mondays and Wellie Wednesdays are all taking place between 10 June and 21 June, as schools across the region take part in a 10-Day Active Travel Challenge. The challenge aims to inspire pupils, parents and staff to find fun, engaging and innovative ways to increase their physical activity levels on their journey to school. It encourages parents to leave the car at home, helping to reduce congestion and parking problems outside schools, improving air quality as well as individual's health and wellbeing. It forms part of Move More Month, the physical activity strategy which is transforming Sheffield into the UK's most active city. Tom Hughes, Move More Month Lead at Sheffield City Council, said: -It's fantastic to see the ways in which schools across Sheffield are moving more this month! -The number of schools taking part in the 10-Day Active Travel Challenge is incredible. It demonstrates the level of support which Move More Month is gaining from communities across the city, support which is increasing daily. -Our goal is to encourage an increase in physical activity levels across all age groups and all demographics in Sheffield and beyond, so it's brilliant to see the Move More message being spread far and wide across the region. -It's important for us to remember as a city that Move More isn't just a month it's an all-year-round initiative, and we're really keen to continue the momentum built this month for the remainder of the year and beyond. -Let's continue the job of transforming Sheffield into the UK's most active city. For more information visit www.movemoresheffield.com or search for @sccactivetravel and the hashtag #10datc on twitter.