This month (Monday May 16 to Friday May 20), more than 10,000 children in the Wokingham Borough will be striding out on the pavements as they take part in National Walk to School Week.

National Walk to School Week is organised by the charity Living Streets who works to create safe, attractive and enjoyable streets around the UK. They run the highly successful Walk to School campaign, which encourages over two million children, parents and teachers to leave their cars at home and walk to school.

This year’s theme is Walk Smart, which aims to teach vital messages about road safety. The event also helps children to learn awareness and orientation skills which will help them to walk independently when they are older.

Children from 38 nursery, infant, junior and primary schools will be putting their best feet forward as part of the initiative. To encourage school children to walk to school they are presented with stickers in recognition of them taking the healthier way to class.

Schools are also provided with wall charts and stickers to monitor how far classmates have walked over the week and work towards a collective target. Several schools are also planning to hold special road safety assemblies during the week.

Heather Eley, school travel advisor, said: "This year, we are asking parents and children to have a go at walking to school for Walk to School Week.  Walking is great for children’s health and road sense and can help them interact with their local environment and be more independent when they are older. 

"Research also shows that children who walk to school are more alert in lessons and can take in more information at school – so if you usually drive your children to school, why not have a go at walking for a change?"