Pupils from 100 County Durham primary schools will join youngsters from all over the world next month in a campaign to help them stay healthy and look after their local environment.
This year the theme for International Walk to School Month is rainbows. During the month youngsters will be encouraged to walk to school and they’ll collect stickers for each time they do. Not only does the month see a reduction in traffic congestion outside participating schools but it is a chance to learn more about how other school children live across the world.
The Cabinet member for economic development, Cllr Neil Foster, said: “The rainbow theme this year is sure to capture the imagination and to help pupils understand the important messages the campaign delivers.
“It is of course about promoting healthy lifestyles and cutting congestion outside schools, but it will also help youngsters to understand more about children living elsewhere in the world. During this month youngsters from all over the globe will walk to school and while the worlds they live in will differ greatly the colours of the rainbow are constant and will bring them all together.”
Participating schools can claim their free resource pack, developed by the council’s Travel Planning Team, which has all the materials they need to take part.
The pack contains eight different stickers for pupils to collect during this campaign. Pupils can collect up to two stickers a week culminating in the ‘pot of gold’ sticker if they walk over 35 times during the campaign.
Children from 40 countries are taking part including USA, Germany, Australia, and China (full list can be found on www.iwalktoschool.org)
