Green travel champs set benchmark for county

The Green Travel Mark Awards were further proof of the value of taking part in the KM Charity Team’s Walk to School campaign, which includes the eco-friendly travel scheme Active Wow (Walk on Wednesday).

The campaign is helping to transform the health and wellbeing of participating schools’ pupils and communities - with the aims of boosting pupils’ health and performance in the classroom, slashing air pollution, and improving safety at the school gate.

WOW Awards 2018 from KM Charity Team on Vimeo.

They encourage families to swap the car for walking, cycling or ‘park and stride’ for the school run. Children don’t just benefit physically from the extra exercise, but also arrive at their desks bright and alert for the start of their lessons.

Winning schools were invited to a certificate presentation staged at the Maiden’s Tower at Maidstone’s Leeds Castle.

They were congratulated by Walk to School mascot Wowzer and KM Walk to School supporters Maidstone Borough Council, Three R’s Teacher Recruitment, Ashford Borough Council, Crown Charitable Foundation, Eurostar, Golding Homes, Kent County Council, Medway Council, Volker Highways, and Countrystyle Recycling.

“It’s very important to us to support the Walk to School campaign,” said Councillor Derek Mortimer from Maidstone Borough Council. “It exercises children, it can quite often be safer to take other routes than the main roads, and I’d like to see more and more children taking it up with their parents.”

Green Travel Mark Awards can be earned at platinum, gold, silver and bronze levels, with additional recognition for schools that provide a walking bus service.

To receive the platinum level award schools have to make a three-year commitment to green travel.

Simon Dolby, chief executive of the KM Charity Team, said: “Our winning schools are doing a fantastic job of promoting and delivering green travel to a high standard.

“They are getting pupils into healthy habits from an early age and reducing the number of cars jostling for space outside the school gate - improving safety and air quality in one stroke.”

He added: “Green travel offers benefits not only to pupils but also to schools, thanks to our award-winning resources which include self-evaluation evidence for Ofsted.”

Active Wow has rebranded as Super Wow for next academic year and Mr Dolby urged schools to register without delay.

“There’s still time for schools to have green travel in place for next academic year but they must contact us as soon as possible,” he said. “As a thank you, we will give a 20% discount to schools signing up by July 24.”

To join Super Wow, contact Sarah Clyne at sclyne@thekmgroup.co.uk or on 08442 640291 or visit the Walk on Wednesday website

Contact Details

Sarah Clyne
Telephone: 08442 640291
Email: sclyne@thekmgroup.co.uk