Corby’s mayor supports Walk to School Week campaign at Beanfield Primary

The then-mayor of Corby Cllr Mohammed Rahman went along to Beanfield Primary School in Farmstead Road last Wednesday to support its Walk to School Week activities.

Cllr Rahman, along with Corby Borough Council Neighbourhood Wardens and police officers, were on hand along with school staff to ensure that around 150 youngsters and parents negotiated Farmstead Road safely.

The annual scheme is part of a national initiative aimed at reducing traffic near schools and getting children more physically active.

The mayor was joined by PC 820 Brad Wilson and PC 3686 Ferguson along with Neighbourhood Wardens Brian Houston and Jim McCabe.

Beanfield Primary’s wellbeing manager Sarah Fleming said: “It was a really positive week and we are very grateful for the support of the mayor, Neighbourhood Wardens and police officers as this is such an important scheme that we take part in every year.”

The first 30 children to assemble each day for its walking ‘bus’ to school earned a balloon and the class which tallied the greatest number of walks in the week won a prize.

It was one of Cllr Rahman’s last public events before handing over his year-long ceremonial duties to the new mayor of Corby, Cllr Ray Beeby, on Tuesday night.

The Walk to School Week campaign to encourage children to walk more has been held annually in the UK for more than two decades and this year was supported by some 300,000 children nationwide.

It is championed by the Living Streets charity, which develops a new five-day walking challenge aimed at primary schools each year.

The campaign ran from Monday, May 21, until Friday, May 24, and internationally the challenge celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2019.

The charity says: “We want a nation where walking is the natural choice for everyday local journeys. Our mission is to achieve a better walking environment and inspire people to walk more.

“Progress starts here: one street, one school, one step at a time.”