More children walking to school in Blackburn

It's part of a pilot by the local council.

Author: Hannah RichardsonPublished 12th May 2024

A scheme to persuade pupils to walk or cycle to class has been hail a success by town hall bosses.

It is a pupil-led initiative, which launched in January, where children self-report how they get to school every day using the interactive WOW Travel Tracker.

The council have been working with charity ‘Living Streets’ to increase the number of pupils who walk or wheel to school

It is a pupil-led initiative where children self-report how they get to school every day using the interactive WOW Travel Tracker.

Cllr Jim Smith, Blackburn with Darwen’s environment boss. said: “This is a fantastic project to be part of and I’m so glad that so many schools have taken an active role in participating – literally!

“It’s crucial that we do all we can to minimise the use of vehicles in the borough – not only for our health, but also the environment.

“I look forward to seeing more schools taking part in the near future.”

The 10 schools currently taking part in the project are: Daisyfield Primary School; St Barnabas CofE Primary Academy, Darwen; Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School; Roe Lee Park Primary School; St Antony’s RC Primary School; St Cuthbert’s CofE Primary School; St James’ CofE Primary School;

St Joseph’s RC Primary School, Darwen; St Luke and St Philips Cof E Primary School; and Sudell Primary School.

So far in the borough, the average is currently 44.34 per cent which has increased by nine per cent since the beginning of the project.

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