Living Streets’ Walk to School programme

We’re thrilled to share some exciting news about the Walk to School programme in Bolton, delivered by Living Streets. Over the past year, the programme has achieved significant milestones, including a 33.5% increase in pupils using active travel to get to and from school and a 32.7% reduction in car drop-offs and pick-ups. These positive changes demonstrate the growing success of the initiative in encouraging healthier, more sustainable travel choices among pupils.

Bolton continues to lead Greater Manchester with the highest number of schools participating in the Walk to School programme. Even more exciting, Active Travel England has confirmed funding for another year, allowing Living Streets to continue running the WOW programme  with schools which benefits both children and the wider community.

Thanks to this continued funding, schools already taking part in the programme will remain fully supported, while additional schools will have the opportunity to join. During the 2023-2024 academic year, schools saw a 22.5 percentage point shift from pupils being driven to school to walking or wheeling, creating 9.3 million new walking journeys and reducing 1.8 million car kilometres from the roads at peak times.

We encourage schools not yet involved to contact Living Streets via livingstreets.org.uk/FreeWOW or reach out to Daniel O’Connell at daniel.oconnell@livingstreets.org.uk to learn more.

This is an exciting time for Bolton as we work with even more schools to make our streets safer, greener, and more enjoyable for everyone.

Thank you for your ongoing support as we continue this important work, making Bolton a place where pupils are healthier, happier, and able to travel safely.