Children across the country are being encouraged to take part in the country’s largest active travel challenge, Sustrans’ Big Walk and Wheel, running from 24 March to 4 April 2025.
The event, sponsored by Schwalbe Tyres, promotes walking, wheeling, scooting and cycling to school, aiming to reduce congestion, improve air quality and boost children’s physical and mental health.
The challenge is open to all primary and secondary schools, including special educational needs and additional support needs schools.
It is free to enter, with daily prizes available.
A new survey by Sustrans highlights that while 62% of children walk, wheel or scoot five or more days a week, over half (54%) travel by car or van just as frequently.
The report also identifies a significant gender gap, with only 17% of girls cycling regularly compared to 28% of boys.
Rachel Toms, Director of urbanism and UK programmes at Sustrans, said: “People want a choice in how they get around, and the popularity of Sustrans’ Big Walk and Wheel is testament to the many benefits of travelling actively – from improved health and concentration in children to a reduction in congestion and air pollution. Our latest research gives us a clear picture: children want to walk and cycle.”
Sustrans’ findings show that 82% of primary and 79% of secondary pupils support more traffic-free routes for walking and cycling, indicating that improved infrastructure could encourage more children to travel actively.
Last year’s challenge saw 2.3 million active travel journeys completed, saving 1,730,486 kg of CO2 emissions.
