YSGOL Gynradd Gymraeg Cefneithin and Ysgol y Felin finished top of the charts in the recent Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel, the UK’s biggest competition for travelling actively to school.
Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Cefneithin finished first in the Carmarthenshire area, with an average of 98% of pupils engaging in active journeys to and from school, while Ysgol y Felin came second in the county with 70%.
Thanks to the combined efforts of their pupils, school staff and the wider school community, Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Cefneithin have won a JD Bug Pro Commute 185 push scooter prize for their school to use, while Ysgol y Felin received a Zycom Cruz 3-wheel scooter for coming second.
Carys Richards, Headteacher at Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Cefneithin, said: “I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate each pupil for their commitment and to our parents for their support toward the Big Walk and Wheel challenge.
“We were all incredibly proud to hear that we won the competition for all schools across Britain and were really pleased to receive the prize of this wonderful scooter from Sustrans.”
“This challenge has certainly given the opportunity for every pupil to continue to develop to be healthy, knowledgeable and ambitious individuals!”
Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Cefneithin clocked up 728 journeys, finishing 1st out of 98 small primary schools in Wales and 8th out of 844 in the UK.
Caroline Butchers, the Active Journeys Champion at Ysgol y Felin, said: “We have enjoyed taking part in the Big Walk and Wheel.
“It was much more fun travelling to school in an active way, we felt much more alert, when we arrived at school – the active travellers managed to get to school a lot quicker too.”
“It was a lovely surprise to find out that we came second in Carmarthenshire – thank you very much for the scooter, it will be put to good use!”
Ysgol y Felin finished 18th in the small primary schools category in Wales and 204th in the same category for the whole UK
Roger Dutton, Sustrans Cymru’s Active Journeys Officer, said: “This is a great effort by the school communities of these two Carmarthenshire primary schools.
“Pupils get health and wellbeing benefits that come with travelling to school actively, whether that’s by foot or by wheelchair, by scooter or by cycle.”
“Less car journeys and more active journeys also means less air pollution in our communities, less greenhouse gases emitted, and less congestion outside of our schools.”
This year also saw more schools in Wales taking part in the Big Walk and Wheel competition than ever before, with a record 190 schools registered and participating in all categories.
Through competitions like Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel, delivered in partnership with Schwalbe Tyres, and Sustrans Cymru’s Active Journeys programme, funded by Welsh Government, children and young people are being given the opportunity to enjoy the journey to school.
Travelling actively to school has been shown to help improve concentration and energy levels in the classroom, as well as enabling children to get some exercise with their friends along the way.
