Lots of little feet descended upon the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead to celebrate 20 years of "Walk to School" - 7 October, 2015

Over 70 children from primary schools across the North East marched to the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art on Wednesday to show their love of walking to school. 

This October marks the 20th year of the Walk to School project by Living Streets, the UK charity for everyday walking.  It also coincides with International Walk to School Month, which sees children across the globe making a special effort to get to school on foot.

Primary school children from across Tyne & Wear, Hartlepool, Durham and Stockton-on-Tees showed off their art skills while celebrating the walk to school.  A treasure hunt ensued, along with creative sessions in the BALTIC. 

Washington and Sunderland West MP, Sharon Hodgson joined pupils from Blackfell Primary School.

Mrs Hodgson said:

“Walking is a great way for young people to keep active and healthy. It also helps them to experience their local area, gain self-confidence and learn vital road safety skills."

"I am thrilled to be taking part in Living Streets’ International Walk to School Month and hope that parents and children from across Washington and Sunderland can take part in the events throughout the month”. 

Jenny Wiles, North East Director for Living Streets said:

“We’ve been working incredibly hard with the local authorities throughout the North East to get more children walking to school over the past 20 years. This event is a celebration of the enjoyment and health benefits the children we work with get through walking to school."

“We understand the barriers that parents face in getting their children to walk to school every day, but by choosing this option over driving all the way they help to ease congestion and improve the health of our young generation.”

All of the schools taking part in the regional event participate in Living Streets’ "Walk once a Week" (WoW) scheme, which rewards children for walking to school once a week."

In Tyne and Wear, Walk to School is delivered by Living Streets on behalf of Schools Go Smarter, the Local Sustainable Transport Fund programme for Tyne and Wear and Northumberland. 

Walk to School is delivered by Living Streets on behalf of Schools Go Smarter, the Local Sustainable Transport Fund programme for Durham, Tyne and Wear and Northumberland. 

Notes:

Living Streets, the UK charity for everyday walking. 

"We want to create a walking nation, free from congested roads and pollution, reducing the risk of preventable illness and social isolation and making walking the natural choice. We believe that a walking nation means progress for everyone."

"Our ambition is to get people of all generations to enjoy the benefits that this simple act brings and to ensure all our streets are fit for walking."

"For more than 85 years we’ve been a beacon for walking. In our early days our campaigning led to the UK’s first zebra crossings and speed limits. Now, our campaigns and local projects deliver real change to overcome barriers to walking and our ground breaking initiatives such as the world’s biggest Walk to School campaign encourage millions of people to walk."

For more information about Go Smarter, please visit www.gosmarter.co.uk 

Living Streets International Walk to School month