At the Living Streets’ National Walking Summit, Trudy Harrison MP, Active Travel Minister, announced that further funding would allow for the continuation of active travel behaviour change outreach programmes.

£2 million will fund Living Streets’ Walk to School Outreach project to run in over 1,000 schools in England. The Walk to School Outreach programme has led to 17 million new walking journeys and 1.8 million fewer car miles since 2017, supporting the Government’s objective that 55 per cent of primary school children walk to school by 2025.

The funding will also support the expansion of the successful Modeshift STARS programme next year, allowing more schools and businesses to promote more sustainable and active modes of travel. And a new Active Travel Academies pilot, in partnerships with Modeshift and the Bikeability Trust, will support young people to become Active Travel Ambassadors as well as providing the skills and infrastructure to walk and cycle to school.

Trudy Harrison MP, Active Travel Minister, Department for Transport said:

“Behaviour change outreach programmes are key to giving people the inspiration, information, skills and confidence to enable them to choose to walk, wheel or cycle more of their everyday journeys.

“The funding I was pleased to confirm today will allow Living Streets, Modeshift and Bikeability Trust to ramp up activity and work with partners to remove even more barriers to walking and cycling. I’m particularly keen to see progress in including those from more deprived communities in these programmes.”