Pupils put their best foot forward to support Road Safety event

Schools in Cheshire West and Chester have supported the ‘Kids Walk’ event organised by the national road safety charity, Brake.

Children aged between four and 11 years put their best foot forward to promote road safety and the health and planet-saving benefits of walking.

The schools taking part in the walk this year were: Whitby Heath, Childer Thornton and Farndon.

Short supervised walks were organised around the schools with children walking in a crocodile formation, to promote the importance of kids being able to walk without fear or threat from traffic.

Cheshire West and Chester Council’s Road Safety Officers with help from Cheshire Constabulary Police Community Support Officers worked with children to promote the benefits of walking and to raise awareness about the dangers posed from traffic and pollution.

The Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet member for Environment, Highways and Strategic Transport, Councillor Karen Shore said: “It is every child's right to be able to walk in their community without fear of traffic and pollution. Danger from traffic is a big factor in whether families can walk safely in the places where they live. It affects their ability to be healthy and active.

“Children of all ages are at risk of being hurt or killed when walking near roads. On average, six children are killed or seriously injured on roads in Britain every day – that’s equivalent to a whole class of children every single week.

“Advice at the Kids Walk event included following the Green Cross Code – Stop Look Listen and Think before they cross, using a safer crossing place and wearing a cycle helmet when riding their bikes or scootering.  Also asking the children to look at the area to identify where their parents/carers could park if they cannot walk all the way to school.”

Rebecca Jewitt, Headteacher at Whitby Heath Primary School said: “We were delighted to be able to take part in Brake’s Kids Walk day with the support of the Council’s Road Safety team and our local PCSO.

“Highlighting the need for everyone to prioritise the safety of all pupils travelling to and from school is a priority for our school community, and engagement with both this and other parking and safety initiatives is invaluable in continuing to share this important message with pupils, staff and parents and carers alike.”

Cheshire West and Chester Council is committed to improving air quality and is supporting Clean Air Day on 17June.  The Council’s Low Emission Strategy to tackle air pollution in the borough includes the recently installed charging points for electric vehicles in car parks across the borough to encourage the use of low emission vehicles.

This supports the Council’s Climate Emergency agenda and its target for the borough to be carbon neutral by 2045.

Pictured - Whitby Heath Walk.