Hundreds of Staffordshire school children have ditched the car to stomp and roar their way to school today as they come face to face with dinosaurs in a bid to ease congestion and reduce pollution.
Thanks to Raptor Ranch at the National Forest Adventure Farm, in Tatenhill, youngsters from Outwoods Primary School, in Harehedge Lane, took a step back through time as part of Walk to School Week.
Designed to help reduce congestion, improve pollution and inspire healthier choices it comes as statistics show that the school run alone contributes to half a million tonnes of CO2 a year in the UK – the same as the total of some small countries!
Raptor Ranch’s gigantic triceratops and velociraptor swapped life at the farm to mark the national awareness campaign as they met at St Luke’s Park this morning to give youngsters the chance to come face to face with the interactive creatures on the way to lessons.
Learning more about the fascinating creatures as well as having a few lessons on how to tame the ferocious beasts the unusual additions on the walk to school saw nearly half the school swap their car for the interactive experience.
Joanne Cutbush, Headteacher at Outwoods Primary School, said it was fantastic to see so many families choosing to get active on the way to school.
She said: “The school run has a huge impact on our environment. The increase in cars not only causes congestion but adds to pollution and poor air quality.
“As a school we are proud to be able to support our pupils by raising awareness of Walk to School Week with the team from Raptor Ranch. Walking is not only good for the environment but has great health benefits for children both physically and mentally.
“It was amazing to see hundreds of children and parents joining the walk in this morning.
“Small changes, whether that is walking an extra day a week or just part of the way where possible, all adds up to a big difference.”
Walk to School week runs from 15th to the 19th May and is designed to encourage pupils to ditch the car and get active on the way to school.
The initiative is part of a number of pupil led activities at the Burton school to encourage more people to think about sustainable travel. There are currently fifteen pupil travel ambassadors who regularly monitor the traffic outside the school and carry out campaigns to reduce idling – keeping the engine running while parked.
A new bicycle and scooter shelter has also been installed as part of the clean air drive to reduce air pollution around the school.
Since then the school has already seen a 33% increase in the number of pupils choosing sustainable travel which has had a huge effect on reducing the numbers of cars causing pollution and congestion around the school.
Many families living further away or unable to walk all the way to the school have also been parking and striding to school by driving so far and then walking the last 5 to 10 minutes to ease congestion around the school gates.
Research from Living Streets, which promotes the benefits of walking, says that walking to school not only has environmental benefits but also helps to boost mental health and increase physical activity.
Raptor Ranch, is held at National Forest Adventure Farm, in Tatenhill, for Dino Week from Saturday 27th May to Sunday 4th June.
Tom Robinson, who runs the attraction with his brother Ivor, said: “We have always been passionate about supporting families to enjoy healthy, fun activities in the countryside. Walk to School Week is a great way to encourage children to get active and the response we had from the children this morning was amazing. It was fantastic for Ranger Rex and his dinosaurs to be able to join so many families in walking to school this morning. The children were so excited during the assemblies and it was a great way to learn some new facts while having a lot of fun as well.”
Creative Word PR 