L to R: Sustrans Director Gordon Clarke, Transport Minister Chris Hazzard and Dr Eddie Rooney, PHA Chief Executive with pupils from St Joseph's Primary, east Belfast and Pond Park Primary
We are delighted to have been awarded the contract to deliver the Active School Travel programme until 2021.
The £2.25 million programme, jointly funded by the Department for Infrastructure and the Public Health Agency (PHA), helps to increase physical activity in children, reduce congestion around schools, and so improve health and road safety awareness.
The Programme began in 2013 and since then 191 schools have enrolled with more than 60,000 children taking part. This has resulted in an increase in those cycling and walking for the school commute and a reduction in car congestion around participating schools.
“ The school journey is a great way of establishing an active travel habit from an early age. ”
Transport Minister Chris Hazzard, who announced the funding, said:
“The school journey is a great way of establishing an active travel habit from an early age so I am pleased that we, alongside the Public Health Agency, have been able to award Sustrans this £2.25million contract. This means that as the name suggests the school run can be exactly that - a run on the bike, the scooter or a walk to school.
Minister for Health, Michelle O’Neill said:
“This Active School Travel Programme ensures children are being given the best opportunity to participate in physical activity which will benefit their health and wellbeing as they develop. We want our children to have memories of playing outside, of made-up adventures and games, rather than being indoors playing with technology.
Dr Eddie Rooney, Chief Executive of the PHA said:
“The Public Health Agency is delighted to confirm its ongoing support and commitment to the Active School Travel programme. Many children are not getting enough exercise with only 10% girls and 19% of boys aged 8-12 years meeting the Chief Medical Officer’s recommendation of one hour of physical activity a day.”
Gordon Clarke, Sustrans Director Northern Ireland said:
“We are delighted to be given the opportunity to continue delivering the Active School Travel Programme.
"We are very proud of what our team has achieved to date. In just one year in the schools where we worked we achieved a 32% increase in the number of pupils walking, cycling and scooting to school, with a corresponding decrease in those being driven.
"Just think what we can do in the long term. Over the next five years we look forward to welcoming new schools across Northern Ireland to the programme and working to make active travel the normal way children get to school each day.”