Gannawarra Shire Council will work with local
primary schools and health agencies to deliver a range of activities
encouraging more families to walk, ride or scoot to school, or the school bus,
this October thanks to $10,000 grant from VicHealth.
Mayor Brian Gibson said that this will be the fifth year Council has coordinated this successful program.
“Walking, riding or scooting to school is a free,
easy and fun way for children to get active and learn more about the world
around them.”
“Getting actively to school also builds confidence and
independence and allows children to practice the road safety lessons of Stop, Look, Listen, Think that they
learn at school and out in the wider community.”
All ten local primary schools are again registered to
participate, consisting of 780 children.“Council is delighted to be part of
this important statewide program and looks forward to developing an exciting
program of activities with local primary schools for the month of October,”
said Mayor Gibson.
“We love seeing families walking, scooting or
riding in Gannawarra to help local kids get active and build healthy habits,
confidence and friendships, and it is always a fun filled month with lots of
laughter.”
VicHealth CEO Jerril Rechter said each year the Walk to School program continues to grow with more and more schools taking part with fantastic results.
“Last year more than 144,000 kids from over 750
schools across Victoria took part in Walk to School. Together they walked more
than 2.2 million kilometres – the equivalent of walking almost 55 times around
the world,” Ms Rechter said.
“This year, we hope to see even more local kids
getting active as they travel to and from school. If you can’t walk all the
way, try parking the car a few blocks from school and walk, ride or scoot the
rest of the way. Walking to school is also a great way for parents and carers
to enjoy some quality time with their kids.”
An official launch of the Gannawarra VicHealth Walk
to School program will be held in Leitchville on Monday September 18, 2017.
The Gannawarra VicHealth Walk to School
program is a partnership project between Gannawarra Shire Council, Northern
District Community Health, Kerang District Health, Cohuna District Hospital,
Mallee District Aboriginal Service, Victoria Police, with support from the
Southern Mallee Primary Care Partnership.
Walk to School is a VicHealth initiative. For more
information go to: www.walktoschool.vic.gov.au.
Follow along with the Gannawarra VicHealth Walk to School program: www.facebook.com/HealthyGannawarra and our Gannawarra Walk
to School BLOG: www.gannawarrawalkstoschool.blogspot.com.au.
