Henry Smith MP is calling on pupils in Crawley to celebrate the strides they have made to improve air quality and get more active by walking to school, as part of Walk to School Week (5th to 9th October 2020).

Henry said;

“Walk to School Week gives children the chance to enjoy fresh air and exercise. It reduces congestion, improves road safety and means we have cleaner air around schools.

“Walk to School Week provides a fantastic opportunity for families to give walking to school a go and see how they could make a more permanent change to how they travel.

“I hope many more families in Crawley will give walking to school a go for Walk to School Week.”

Walk to School Week is organised by Living Streets, the UK charity for everyday walking. It aims to encourage families to try healthier and greener ways to travel to school. Living Streets is also campaigning for changes to the Highway Code to put people first and a ban on pavement parking.

A generation ago, 70 per cent of children walked to school, now it is less than half. The Government has recognised the importance of walking to school and set the first ever walk to school target in its Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, to get 55 per cent of primary school pupils walking to school by 2025.

Mary Creagh, Chief Executive of Living Streets, said;

“Walking to school is a fun and easy way for families to get active.

“We’re thrilled that local pupils are joining thousands of children nationwide to swap the school run for a school walk. We need safer streets so more families have confidence to walk to school.”

For more information on Walk to School Week please click here.