Pupils pitch to judges to secure funding for school active travel campaigns

Teams of pupils from the region pitched for active travel campaigns in a bid to secure funding for their schools at a Dragon's Den-style event at County Hall. 

Up to £200 was up for grabs with a bonus £50 for the school with the best presentation at the Campaign Junction, and the money could be put towards anything from competition prizes to a bike stand. All groups were successful with the pitches they made. 

The event on Tuesday 1 April was hosted by Norfolk County Council's AtoBetter project and delivered by Modeshift, a national/leading sustainable travel organisation. The Active Travel Ambassador (ATA) programme aims to work closely with schools and councils to increase and promote active travel to and from schools, and to make it the norm for the school commute and beyond. 

Schools that competed last year all saw an increase in active travel modes, with one high school increasing active travel to an impressive 74% of pupils cycling or walking to school.  

Esme Holtom, 'Dragon' and AtoBetter Travel Plan Coordinator said: "This is a fantastic programme because it gives the students the confidence and skills to tackle the transport issues affecting their school and promote behaviour change. 

"Lots more pupils in Norfolk are now opting to walk, cycle or get the bus to school and it was inspiring during the pitches to hear how passionate these young people were about sustainable travel. 

"I would like to encourage other schools to get involved with the Active Travel Ambassador programme and find out about other sustainable and active travel initiatives we can offer." 

Ormiston Venture Academy in Gorleston included both pupils and staff in their campaign and came up with ideas to reward those that walked and cycled every day with ice cream or other prizes, such as scratch cards. 

Thorpe St Andrew High School near Norwich looked at how they could encourage more of the 400 cars that arrive to the school every day to park further away at designated 'park and stride' locations. They also wanted more pupils cycling and identified the need for safer pedestrian crossings to make walking to the school safer. 

Framingham Earl High School came up with four innovative campaigns: the Fram Steppers, Oi Only Idiots Idle, Pedal to the Prize and their Active Traffle campaign. 

They were awarded the bonus £50 by the judging panel who particularly liked their clear key messages and the variety of approaches taken. 

A Modeshift Active Travel Coordinator from each region in England works with a group of 6-12 students aged 11 upwards, and a member of school staff, to develop their project. During the sessions, the pupils carry out research and site audits and discuss how they will decide the area of active travel their campaign will concentrate on. This may involve ideas such as walking competitions, Cycle to School Week, or car-free days. 

They then get the opportunity to pitch their ideas to a panel of local transport experts from Norfolk County Council, The Bikeability Trust and Modeshift and, if their bid is successful, they plan and carry out their initiative in the summer term. 

There will be a follow-up with schools at the end of the summer term to assess the impact of their projects. 

Visit AtoBetter to find out how to get involved.