Exeter Primary School celebrates active travel success

Children and staff from St Sidwell’s C of E Primary School celebrated their Leg it to Lapland win with a visit from mountain bike trials legend Andrei Burton and his team.

Four times British Champion trials bike rider Owen Gawthorpe entertained and inspired the children with his amazing display of bike skills.

During the two week Leg it to Lapland active travel challenge, which took place in November and December 2019, children, staff and parents, earned ‘leg miles’ for every journey they made to school by foot, bike or scooter and by taking part in extra activities during the school day.

A record number of schools (20) across Devon took part last year and St Sidwell’s came out on top with an average of 30 active miles per pupil.

The Leg it to Lapland challenge is organised by Sustrans – the charity making it easier to walk and cycle, and delivered as part of the Active Travel to Schools project, funded by Devon County Council through the Access Fund.

Helen Morse, one of three Sustrans Active Travel Officers in Devon, said: “St Sidwell’s really threw themselves into the challenge. They consistently had 80-90% of children travelling actively which in turn helped reduce congestion and improve air quality around the school. They worked hard to earn extra miles by organising activities during the school day such as static bike rides and playground sessions.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council Cabinet Member with responsibility for cycling, said: “More and more schools are taking part in this fun challenge every year and we hope this encourages young people to choose sustainable travel for everyday journeys. The 5,860 pupils in Devon who took part in the two-week challenge managed to clock up more than 60,000 virtual miles of active travel, which was the equivalent of making it to Lapland and back again fourteen times. Hopefully everyone at St Sidwell’s Primary School enjoyed the bike display – it was very well deserved for all of their efforts.”

If your school would like to join over 1,600 schools already signed up to the Big Pedal challenge from April 22nd-May 5th, you can register at https://bigpedal.org.uk/