Walk to School Week

We’re delighted to be giving pupils from across the UK a helping hand as they step out for Walk to School Week.

We’ve joined forces with Living Streets, the UK charity for everyday walking, to sponsor 10 primary schools up and down the country as they take part in Walk to School Week, an initiative which encourages families to leave their cars behind and get outdoors. The support we’ve provided will fund challenge packs and help youngsters to become more active, while helping reduce traffic congestion and air pollution.

Last year, over 14,000 classes took part in Walk to School Week; that’s approximately 400,000 children walking to school.

Here are some facts to get you walking more:

• A generation ago, 70% of us walked to school – now it’s less than half.
• One in five cars on the road during morning rush hour are taking children to school.
• 79% of boys and 84% of girls fail to meet the minimum daily recommendation of exercise
• One in three children leave primary school either overweight or obese.
• Children should get 60 minutes of physical activity a day. Walking to school goes a long way to achieving this goal. Children who do some form of exercise, especially a walk before school:

• Arrive fit, refreshed and ready to learn
• Do better in class
• Are happier, healthier and more independent

Regular walking has been shown to reduce the risk of chronic illnesses, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, asthma, stroke and some cancers. Walking is simple, free and one of the easiest ways to get more active, lose weight and become healthier. It's underrated as a form of exercise, but walking is ideal for people of all ages and fitness levels who want to be more active.

Try to walk 10,000 steps a day. Most of us walk between 3,000 and 4,000 steps a day anyway, so reaching 10,000 isn't as daunting as it might sound.

From walking to the shops or part of your journey to work, to walking the dog and organised group walks, try to make every step count.

The easiest way to walk more is to make walking a habit. Think of ways to include walking into your daily routine. Examples include: walking part of your journey to work, walking to the shops, using the stairs instead of the lift, leaving the car behind for short journeys, walking the kids to school, doing a regular walk with a friend and going for a stroll with family or friends after dinner

So why not see how many steps you can get into this Walk to School Week?