South Gloucestershire Council

Published: 11/07/2014

Brimsham Green Secondary School pupils have successfully completed an ambitious ‘World Cup’ challenge by clocking up enough miles to take them from Yate in South Gloucestershire to São Paulo in Brazil.

Every day for the last three weeks, the Year 7 pupils have been awarded virtual miles towards their journey by walking, cycling or scooting to school.

Their challenge was to clock up the 7,800 miles needed for the journey before the World Cup 2014 closing ceremony. The year seven pupils made it to their destination and as a prize won a day with Bristol based organisation, the APE project who provide an activity called ‘Crazy Bikes’. The children got the chance to have a go on an array of specially designed bikes which come in all sorts of different shapes and sizes, some with tiny wheels while others steer the wrong way.

Vicky Stone, Travelwest Active Travel to Schools Officer for South Gloucestershire said: “This challenge has been a brilliant way of encouraging pupils to be more active on their way to school. As well as earning them a great day out the challenge has helped them build regular exercise into their daily routines with lots of benefits for their health and the environment.”

Year seven pupil Matthew, aged 12, said: “I was mainly being driven to school before the challenge but I have cycled almost every day for the whole three weeks because I wanted to have a go on the Crazy Bikes.”

This event is part of the Travelwest Active Travel to School project which aims to increase walking, cycling and scooting to school in South Gloucestershire, in order to encourage alternatives to the car-based school-run.