Looking back at my childhood, when my sisters and I would leave home in the morning, a baked potato in our pockets and set off for a day’s adventure on our bikes or exploring in a local wood, climbing trees, building dens and making a raft, that sunk like a stone.
At the end of the day we would return home, dirty, hungry, tired and apart from a few bumps and bruises—safe. I know it was 40 years ago and the roads are much busier, the places to explore no longer exist and parents are reticent to allow children out on their own, but it is sad that the opportunities I had as a child to find out about our local area, understand and learn about risks don’t exist for the child of today.
Perhaps the first step for children to find out more about their local area and get active is during Walk to School Week from the 16th to the 20th of May.
It will give thousands of children and parents the opportunity to spend some quality time together and do something that improve their health. Last year over 2 million children walked to school during the week.
As well as improving your health you will also being doing something positive for the environment. The average journey to school for children under 11 is less than 2 miles and for over 11s is under 3 miles, but over 43% of children are driven to school each day.
This year, the theme is ‘Walk Your Way’ look for different ways to get to school each day, explore your local area, follow a new path and have your own adventure. Use the walk to find out more about your environment, learn about road safety, make up games and activities you can all take part in along your journey!
Janet Inman spent 20 years in teaching as a PE specialist, and was always engaged in coaching and taking part in sport. She joined the Lincolnshire Sports Partnership (LSP) team in 2003 as a Director and became a member of the staff team in 2005. Since then she has had a senior role until taking the CEO role in June 2010.
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Exciting news for MyLocal app users and The Lincolnite readers! Our latest update is now available to download from your app store and comes packed with the best local news experience you can enjoy.
Revamped News Feed: Enjoy faster loading times and smoother scrolling that make catching up on local news a breeze.
New Play Video Feed: Dive into a dynamic video feed that brings local stories to life in a whole new way.
Enhanced In-App Browser: Access external links quickly and efficiently, right from the app, without any distractions.
Update your MyLocal app from your app store (version 2.73) now and start enjoying these great new features today!
P.S.: Start your MyLocal membership today to support MyLocal and The Lincolnite deliver you a better local news experience and honest journalism from across Lincolnshire.
P.P.S.: We have some huge things in the pipeline, stay tuned!