Put your best feet forward and walk to school!
Take steps to join in with national Walk to School Week from Monday 21st May to Friday 25th May!
This is the call to Southend parents and schoolchildren, who are being urged to forget cars and use more active ways to get to and from school instead.
Southend-on-Sea Borough Council’s Road Safety Team members - along with the borough’s well-loved Road Safety mascot, Ziggy - are presenting assemblies at 21 schools in the borough to promote next week’s campaign.
The Council’s Executive Councillor for Public Protection, Waste and Transport, Councillor Tony Cox said: “There are many benefits to walking - including reducing congestion outside schools, making them safer.
“Less cars outside schools means less harmful gases polluting the air. Each time you use the car for the school run you produce enough carbon dioxide to fill 30 balloons!
“Walking to school increases the amount of physical activity the children take part in, which can contribute to the recommended hour of exercise for each of them every day.
“It also counts if you can at least switch to parking further away from school and walking for the last ten minutes of the journey.
“However, the most important advantage is that while they are walking, children will be learning Road Safety skills to help them throughout their lives.
“The Council’s Road Safety team offers all schools Road Safety training throughout the year.
“We would also like to remind adults that the children copy what you do, so please set a good example! Always remind children to STOP, LOOK, LISTEN and find a safe place to cross.”
Schools taking part in Walk to School Week are Barons Court, Bournes Green Infants, Darlinghurst, Eastwood Primary, Edwards Hall, Leigh North Street Juniors, Milton Hall, Sacred Heart, St Marys, Temple Sutton, Thorpe Greenways, Westborough, Fairways, Earls Hall, St Michael’s, Hamstel, Heycroft, Hinguar, Porters Grange, Friars and St Georges.
