Mayor celebrates Walk to School Week in Barry

Naomi Marshallsea, the Mayor of the Vale of Glamorgan, joined pupils from Ysgol Sant Baruc in Barry on their walk to school today (Monday 19 May). 

Pupils are celebrating Living Streets’ Walk to School Week, where over 250,000 pupils across the UK will experience the many benefits of walking and wheeling to school. 

Ysgol Sant Baruc takes part in WOW – the walk to school challenge from Living Streets, the pupil-led initiative where pupils record how they get to school using the interactive WOW Travel Tracker with those who walk, wheel, cycle, scoot or ‘Park and Stride’ to school being awarded a monthly WOW badge. 

Since starting WOW in September 2023, 22% of pupils at Ysgol Sant Baruc regularly walk all the way to the school gates and the school has seen a 57 per cent reduction* in cars driving to the school gates.   

Thanks to a third year of funding from the Welsh Government, Living Streets Cymru is working with 200 primary schools and 42 secondary schools to deliver its walk to school programme across Wales. The project highlights the positive impact that active travel investment makes to schools, families, and local neighbourhoods. 

Naomi Marshallsea, Mayor of the Vale of Glamorgan, said: 

"My children travel actively to school each day, and my eldest is often on his bike. Active travel is quicker for me than driving, as well as being better for the environment and cheaper. But more than anything, I see my children happy, enjoying the walk and arriving ready to learn.