Meet the Perth pupils taking steps to get active this school year
Pupils at Ruthvenfield Primary School in Perth have been helping to launch a nationwide walk to school challenge (Monday 1 September).
Children across Scotland are being encouraged to walk, wheel, cycle or scoot to school this year by Living Streets Scotland, part of the UK charity for everyday walking.
Pupils were joined by Bailie Claire McLaren to launch a new year of WOW – the walk to school challenge from Living Streets Scotland.
Over 180 primary schools in Scotland take part in WOW, which sees pupils record their journey to school on the interactive WOW Travel Tracker and rewards those who walk, wheel, cycle, scoot or ‘Park and Stride’ to school with a WOW badge.
WOW badges are designed by pupils in a UK-wide competition. This year’s Walk with Joy theme will be taking pupils on a journey through the small things that bring happiness, creativity and fun to their lives, with badge designs celebrating everything from the joy of painting to playing football and family holidays.
In Scotland, WOW schools see on average a 5-10 per cent increase in pupils walking to school with a corresponding drop in car use, helping to reduce congestion and improve safety outside the school gates.
Chris Thompson, Programme Manager, Living Streets Scotland, said:
“Pupils at Ruthvenfield Primary School have been taking part in WOW for many years and demonstrated a fantastic commitment to getting more active on the journey to school.
“We are delighted to have them walking, wheeling, cycling and scooting with us again this year and am sure they will inspire others to join us as we stride into a new school year.”
Councillor John Rebbeck, convener of Perth and Kinross Council’s Learning and Families Committee, said:
“It’s fantastic to see such enthusiasm from our children and young people for this challenge.
“It’s a great way to encourage pupils to be more active and reduce car use and I wish pupils at Ruthvenfield the best of luck for this year’s challenge.”
About the author
Kathryn Shaw
Head of Communications and Marketing, Living Streets / [email protected]