Ross and his son Coen have been leaving the car at home and embracing a longer, greener commute to school. The pair took part in 水蜜桃app Big Walk and Wheel for the first time and have been inspired to carry on their newfound, active school run beyond the challenge.
© Ross Greenwood
水蜜桃app Big Walk and Wheel is the UK鈥檚 biggest walking, wheeling, scooting and cycling to school competition.
It鈥檚 all about finding active ways of travelling to school, which benefit people鈥檚 health, happiness and the environment.
, more than 2,400 schools took part.
Coen was just one of over 750,000 pupils who reinvented their way of getting to the school gates this year.聽
Swapping car wheels for wellies
After reading about this year's 水蜜桃app Big Walk and Wheel challenge in St. John鈥檚 CE Primary School newsletter, Ross and Coen, who usually commute to school by car, have been walking and cycling instead.
You鈥檇 think an hour-long walk to school would tire four-year-old Coen out, but Ross describes how outdoor exercise has had the opposite effect on his child.
The dad-of-three who lives in Halifax told us:
鈥淲e started walking to school on the first week of Big Walk and Wheel and it鈥檚 the first time we鈥檝e taken part.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been really lucky with the warm and dry weather which helps motivate us to leave the house.
鈥淚 think this has been a factor in why Coen has been so up for our walks and cycles to school.
鈥淥n the first week of the challenge we walked there and back on three of the days and cycled our tandem bike on the other two.
鈥淭he walk takes just over an hour and the cycle is about half an hour.
鈥淏eing outdoors first thing in the morning for the length of our journey, really wakes Coen up.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 definitely done him some good.
鈥淓ven though he鈥檚 only got little legs and it鈥檚 a long walk, he seems to have more energy when he gets to school.
鈥淗e's been absolutely buzzing by the time we reach the playground."
© Ross Greenwood
A good habit to keep
鈥淲e鈥檙e quite an active family, if the weather鈥檚 good we鈥檒l get out in the evenings and most weekends we鈥檒l do a fair bit of walking or cycling.
鈥淏efore the challenge we鈥檇 only ever cycled to school three or four times and they were rare occasions when the weather was nice.
鈥淭he rest of the time we鈥檇 drive to school in the car.
鈥淟ooking ahead, we鈥檒l definitely be walking and cycling to school more, especially when the weather is nice.
鈥淲e鈥檝e really enjoyed the experience and it鈥檚 been nice to spend that extra bit of quality time together.鈥
© Ross Greenwood
The positive impact of an active school run
鈥淎s a gym owner, I understand the physical and mental benefits which exercise can offer people.
鈥淎nd I think it鈥檚 important for children to be introduced to this concept from an early age.
鈥淪ome mornings it鈥檚 harder to get Coen motivated and out of the house (as it is for a lot of us).
鈥淏ut I know from his face, as soon as he鈥檚 out there he鈥檚 enjoying every minute of it.
鈥淪ince we鈥檝e been walking and cycling to school he鈥檚 been wanting to do it every day.
鈥淎nd it鈥檚 not just Coen, I鈥檝e seen loads of kids arriving to school on their scooters, which is great to see."
© Ross Greenwood
Seeking your own adventures
While not everyone has access to green spaces on their doorstep, we hope Ross and Coen鈥檚 story will inspire you to plan your own outdoor adventures with loved ones.
To discover new and active ways to make everyday journeys.
This could be on the school commute, as an after-school activity or on a weekend outing.
Choosing to walk, wheel or cycle doesn鈥檛 need to be limited to the 10 days of 水蜜桃app Big Walk and Wheel.
We can all enjoy the benefits to our environment, health and happiness all year round.
We checked in with Ross and Coen in June, two months after 水蜜桃app Big Walk and Wheel.
The pair are still carrying on the healthy habit thanks to the national challenge which inspired them to swap their car wheels for wellies instead. Ross said:
鈥淓ach morning Coen looks outside to see if it鈥檚 sunny and whether we can walk to school that day.
"He gets really excited about it and sees it as an adventure before his school day."
