Children reap benefits of the Big Walk to School

More than 57,000 children across Merseyside have been using their feet to countdown to the summer holidays.

Almost 200 schools have been encouraging pupils and parents to take part in the Big Walk to School - a TravelWise initiative that aims to create healthier, happier and greener schools by asking youngsters who can to walk to school for at least one day a week in the run up to summer.

A 20-minute walk to school can burn around 100 calories and help pupils start the day energised and alert. Walking to school can also help develop a child's road sense - as well as helping relieve road congestion and saving money for parents.

All the pupils that took part in the Big Walk to School received stickers and a diary to log their progress. At the end of the term, the classes with the most walkers at each participating school were awarded some fantastic prizes. More than 6,000 pupils from schools right across Liverpool, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral received family tickets to the National Wildflower Centre in Knowsley.

Neil Scales, Chair of the Local Transport Plan Partnership and Chief Executive and Director General of Merseytravel, said: "This year's Big Walk to School was a huge success.

"As well as the obvious health benefits of walking to school, walking can be great fun. This initiative has encouraged children and their parents to think about the environmental choices they make every day.

"The TravelWise Campaign aims to encourage children and their parents to walk, cycle, car share or use public transport to get to school through the School Travel Plan Programme. Children who live further away from school can get the benefits of walking to school by walking for part of their journey.

"Building on the success of travel plans in Merseyside, the Big Walk to School aims to encourage parents and children to make a regular effort to walk to school. The campaign has been so successful that many schools will be organising their own initiatives all year round from September, such as "Walk once a week" schemes."