Between 11 and 22 March 2024, your child’s school can take part in Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel. If their school hasn't already signed up, you can send them the invitation below.
Invite your school to take part
You can copy the wording below or download the letter:
Dear [NAME],
Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel is the UK’s largest inter-school walking, wheeling, scooting and cycling challenge and this year it is celebrating its 15th year. The challenge aims to get more children taking active travel to school to improve air quality in their neighbourhood and discover how these changes benefit their world.
On each day of the challenge, schools compete to see who can record the greatest proportion of their pupils taking active journeys to school.
Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel 2024 is taking place from 11 to 22 March.
I am writing to ask that [INSERT SCHOOL NAME] takes part in the challenge. It would be a fun way to encourage healthy habits, improve local air quality and help tackle climate change.
It’s free to take part. Participating schools could win some fantastic prizes and will also have access to a range of exciting resources, including curriculum linked lesson plans, and ideas to get all pupils involved.
You can find out more and register at www.bigwalkandwheel.org.uk.
Once registered you can download free educational resources and materials and a letter to parents inviting them to take part.
Why [INSERT SCHOOL NAME] should take part in Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel.
Regular physical activity promotes good physical and mental health. Walking, wheeling, scooting or cycling is a great way for children to build physical activity into their daily routine.
It helps children arrive more relaxed and alert, ready to start the day. It also helps reduce traffic congestion and improves air quality around the school.
A 2021 YouGov study showed nearly half of UK children worry about air pollution near their school.
Children thought walking, wheeling, scooting or cycling was the best way to bring down these pollution levels.
It also showed more children want to travel actively to school than currently do.
Just under 2.7million active journeys to 1,862 participating schools took place during the 2023 challenge, saving an estimated 1,890 tonnes of CO2 emissions if the journeys logged had otherwise been made by car.
And since data collection for the challenge began in 2011, a staggering 23.9 million miles (1) have been travelled by pupils taking over 15.9 million active travel journeys to school.
That’s around 200 trips to the moon, or over 1,900 journeys around the Earth (1), saving 12,700 tonnes of CO2 polluting the air on the school run, from 31.7 million car journeys had the participants been driven to and from school (1).
[INSERT YOUR OWN REASONS FOR WANTING TO TAKE PART]
I really hope our school can take part this year! I am really excited about the positive difference our school could make.
Kind regards,
[NAME]
Find out if your child’s school is taking part.
Big Walk and Wheel schools mapWhat is the Big Walk and Wheel?
Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel is the UK’s largest inter-school active travel challenge. It’s designed to increase the number of children taking active journeys (walking, using a wheelchair, scooting or cycling) to school, during the event and beyond.
Just under 2.7million active journeys to 1,862 participating schools took place during the 2023 challenge, saving an estimated 1,890 tonnes of CO2 emissions if the journeys logged had otherwise been made by car (2).
Will your family join in this year?
For more tips on walking, scooting or cycling to school, you can download our free guides.
(1) These figures are an estimation only, and depend on a number of assumptions and national or regional averages.
(2) Based on approximations of assumed modes of travel.