Ynys Môn pupils top national leaderboard for walking to school

Nation.Cymru Staff

Pupils in Ynys Môn have topped a national leaderboard celebrating children who are making strides to walk or wheel to school.

WOW – the walk to school challenge from charity Living Streets Cymru sees pupils record how they get to school using the interactive WOW Travel Tracker.

The WOW Top Ten helps boost pupils’ engagement in the overall challenge and increase active travel rates at schools, with those who walk, wheel, cycle, scoot or ‘Park and Stride’ awarded a monthly WOW badge.

With a few challenges scattered across the school year, the challenge aims to support pupils’ health and wellbeing while reducing congestion and pollution around the gates.

This term, pupils at Ysgol Llanfawr on Ynys Môn took part in the summer challenge, which asked them to walk and wheel to school as many times as possible during June.

Ninety-five per cent of journeys recorded by children at Ysgol Llanfawr during June were active travel journeys, meaning that pupils walked, wheeled, cycled, scooted or used Park and Stride.

Catherine Woodhead, Chief Executive at Living Streets, said: “Congratulations to Ysgol Llanfawr, who have topped the WOW Top Ten leaderboard. Walking and wheeling to school keeps us fit, healthy and happy – and helps to reduce congestion, air pollution and road danger outside the school gates.

“By choosing to walk, pupils at Ysgol Llanfawr are showing how small actions lead to big impacts, such as easing congestion, improving air quality, and creating cleaner, healthier streets. I’m sure that they’ll inspire other children and their families to follow in their footsteps.”

Ysgol Llanfawr is one of over 200 primary schools in Wales currently participating in the WOW walk to school challenge, with funding provided by the Welsh Government.

More information about WOW and Living Streets Cymru, part of the UK charity for everyday walking, is available here.