Pupils and parents from Kingsnorth Primary School will be cycling to school for a free bike breakfast and a chance to meet the Olympic champion Jamie Staff as they celebrate the arrival of the highly successful Sustrans project, ‘Bike It’. This unique project works with schools across England and Wales to encourage children and young people to choose two wheels instead of four for the school journey.
Kingsnorth Primary School is the latest school to benefit from the continued success of Bike It across Ashford. Sustrans Bike It Officer David Robert works with 12 schools across the region.
Bike It Officer, David Robert said: “I am delighted that Kingsnorth Primary School has joined the Bike It project, the staff and pupils are really enthusiastic about increasing the cycling levels at the school. It is great to have a role model such as Jamie Staff backing the project. We know from research that 47 per cent of children would like to cycle to school but only 2 per cent actually do – there is an enormous potential for increasing cycling levels across the country. Cycling to school has so many benefits for pupils such as improved health, confidence and concentration as well as the obvious benefits for the environment in which they will grow up in.”
The Bike It project works directly with pupils, parents and staff to help them overcome whatever it is that is preventing them from cycling to school – by organising cycle training, helping to install new bike sheds, contributing to classroom work and providing information about safe routes to schools. Participating schools across England have seen levels of cycling treble within a year– bucking the trend in declining numbers of children cycling to school. Currently there are 32 Bike It officers working with over 300 schools and over 60,000 children across England and Wales.
Bike It is a nationwide scheme, managed by sustainable transport charity Sustrans. Nationally the project is funded by Cycling England, and the cycle industry through the Bike Hub, locally Bike It is supported by Kent Highway Services.
Staff, parents and teachers who are interested in promoting cycling and walking in their school are encouraged to call the Sustrans School Travel Team on 0117 915 0100 for free information and advice.
Sustrans is the UK's leading sustainable transport charity, working on practical projects so people can choose to travel in ways that benefit their health and the environment. The charity is behind the award winning National Cycle Network, Connect2, Safe Routes to Schools, Bike It, TravelSmart, Active Travel and Liveable Neighbourhoods, all projects that are changing our world one mile at a time. To find out more visit www.sustrans.org.uk
Sustrans is a member of Stop Climate Chaos, a broad coalition of environmental, development, faith-based, women's and other organisations campaigning to stop human-induced climate change www.stopclimatechaos.org.
Sustrans' vision is a world in which people choose to travel in ways that benefit their health and the environment. It is achieving this through innovative but practical solutions to the UK’s transport challenges. Hence Sustrans offer a free information line for staff, parent and teachers who are interesting in promoting cycling and walking in their school.
Bike It is a nationwide scheme, managed by sustainable transport charity Sustrans, aiming to increase the number of young people cycling to school and on other journeys.
Over the 2006/07 academic year there was a trebling of cycling levels in schools taking part in the Bike It programme. There are currently 32 Bike It Officers, working with over 300 schools and over 60,000 children and young people across England and Wales.
The project receives funding from Cycling England with the support of the Department for Transport, Bike Hub – the cycle industry levy, the Big Lottery Fund's Well-being Programme, the Welsh Assembly Government, Transport for London and support from partner local authorities Bike It is core funded by the cycle industry, comprising both bicycle manufacturers and retailers, through the Bike Hub.
Cycling England is the expert body set up by Government to promote cycling nationally. Further information about Cycling England can be found at www.cyclingengland.co.uk
Source: Sustrans
<>
Olympic champion Jamie Staff launches the Sustrans Bike It project at Kingsnorth Primary School
