School pupils get ready to walk, cycle, wheel and scoot

The Public Health Agency (PHA) is supporting the Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel by encouraging school pupils to get active on their school commute.  

Schools across the UK are getting ready to take part in the Big Walk and Wheel challenge, which helps support the work of the Active School Travel (AST) programme, funded by Public Health Agency (PHA) and Department for Infrastructure (DFI) to help more children get active on their journeys to and from school.

Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel takes place from 11–22 March 2024 and there is still time for more schools to sign up. It aims to inspire pupils to make physically active journeys to school, improving their health and wellbeing, improving air quality in their neighbourhood and discovering how these changes benefit them and the world around them.

Dr Hannah McCourt, Senior Health and Social Wellbeing Improvement Officer at the PHA, said: “The Active School Travel programme offers a fun and interactive way for children to get moving more and incorporate physical activity into their daily routine. Being physically active helps to build strong bones, muscles and a healthy heart, supports the development of social skills, and encourages a sense of wellbeing. It also benefits children’s mental health and wellbeing, and with such a wide range of benefits we’d encourage as many people as possible to incorporate active travel in to the school runs. It’s great to see so many schools join the Big Walk and Wheel this year and hopefully more will join up to help show pupils the benefits of getting more active.”

The competition, which has been running for 15 years, will invite schools to compete to try to make the most journeys by walking, wheeling, scooting and cycling.

Macosquin Primary School in Coleraine is one of the hundreds of schools taking part this year.

Principal Louanne McElwee said: “We are very excited to be taking part in the Big Walk and Wheel challenge again this year. We have been committed to continually developing and improving our physical activity programmes within the school through the Active School Travel (AST) programme and have achieved the Sustrans Gold School Mark award for continuing to embed active travel across all aspects of school life. We are proud to say our pupils and families now embrace active travel thanks to the AST programme.

“As the days begin to get brighter, it’s the perfect time for our pupils to get active and take part in some friendly competition. The Big Walk and Wheel reinforces the importance of children embracing active travel and developing positive habits which will last them a lifetime. We’re delighted to be part of it!”

Beth Harding, Active School Travel Manager at Sustrans, added: "Millions of pupils across the UK have risen to the challenge and embraced active travel throughout these past 15 years of Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel, and who wouldn’t when the competition is such fun? Last year, 225 schools across Northern Ireland signed up to the challenge, and nearly 155,000 active journeys to school were recorded during the two-week competition.

“The challenge shows how people of all ages want to travel actively. Not only are pupils and their families enjoying the delights of an active school commute, but they’re also saving money, improving congestion and the environment around their schools, and building healthy habits at a young age.”

Dr McCourt concluded: “The PHA would encourage as many families and schools as possible across Northern Ireland to get involved in the Big Walk and Wheel challenge this year. It’s important that children are introduced to a culture of being active from an early age as it is something that will stay with them and benefit them throughout their lives.”

To find out more about the competition and to register, visit: www.bigwalkandwheel.org.uk