main content Children invited to 'Walk with Beetles'

Stag beetles are being enrolled in a novel approach to encourage more children to walk to school. The Council’s conservation team are giving activity packs to schools which parents can use with their children on the journey to school. The ‘Walking with Beetles…to School!’ packs contain ‘stag beetle style’ pedometers and walk charts and aim to get seven to eleven year olds walking and watching wildlife in the Transport for London funded project (TFL).

“We’re really pleased to be promoting walking to children at a time when childhood obesity is on the increase. It is worrying that some young people find walking boring when there’s so much to see outdoors. We hope that this pack will go some way towards enriching the walking experience by getting young people to focus on the wealth of biodiversity around them on their way to and from school” said Ewa Prokop, Countryside Projects Officer.

Children from St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School, who were involved in testing the activities, were on hand to help launch the pack at the start of ‘Walk to School Week’, which starts today.

Adrian Bell, Sustainable Mobility Manager at TFL said “TFL is committed to making our Capital one of the most walking-friendly cities in the world. Walking is often a viable transport alternative in London, and one that is both healthy and environmentally friendly. ‘Walking with Beetles… to School!’ is an imaginative and interesting project that encourages children - and their parents - to travel to school by foot. It offers the chance for shared discovery of nature in a way that simply can’t be done from a car.”

All primary schools are involved in distributing a limited number of packs to their pupils during Walk to School Week. The activity cards and walk chart may also be printed off at www.bromleybiodiversity.co.uk free of charge.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

• The ‘Walking with Beetles’ initiative has been created by the London Borough of Bromley, as part of the SUN Project, with support from the Transport for London 5 Year Investment Programme. The cost for those aspects covered by this press release amount to approximately £7000 funding from TFL and £1500 from the EU LIFE Environment Fund. The ‘Walking with Beetles’ initiative aims to: enhance the environment around ‘The Beck Corridor’; promote understanding of the biodiversity within its green spaces; encourage its enjoyment through walking and the use of sustainable transport. The initiative gains its name from the fact that Beckenham is a population hotspot for the threatened stag beetle and as such it provides an ideal icon.
• ‘Walking with Beetles…to School’ is an activity pack for 7-11 year olds walking to and from school. There are 9 activity cards, 3 for each term. Each card has a theme and includes an activity for walkers of 7-9 year of age on one side, and an activity for walkers of 10-11 years of age on the other. The pack includes an introductory card for the young walker and a guidance note for adults. The activities are all on a wildlife or ‘biodiversity’ theme. Though the Beck Corridor has provided the stimulus for the initiative, the activities have been designed so that they may be undertaken anywhere. This is an innovative project which combines the health, transport and wildlife agendas.
• 2500 copies of the Pack and 1000 pedometers have been distributed to pupils via schools. Further copies may be printed off the London Borough of Bromley’s website. See pdf copies of the pack at www.bromleybiodiversity.co.uk under the ‘Kids and Parents’ tab. A Walk Chart and Game may also be printed from the website.
• Later this year, ‘Walking with Beetles…at School’ will be launched. This is a file of educational activities currently being developed for school teachers in the Borough. The lesson plans within the file aim to promote biodiversity and sustainable travel to Key Stages 1, 2 and 3 as part of the National Curriculum.
• For media enquiries, please contact Andrew Rogers on 020 8461 7670.
• For information about getting a ‘Walking with Beetles…to School!’ pack, contact Ewa Prokop, Countryside Projects Officer, on 020 8313 4665, or email ewa.prokop@bromley.gov.uk
• For information about Transport for London’s work to promote walking in the Capital, see www.tfl.gov.uk or contact Adrian Bell at adrianbell@streetmanagement.org.uk
• Further information on the project is available at www.bromleybiodiversity.co.uk