Festive students take on WOW Challenge

Tuesday 17 December 2019

Children at La Houguette braved the cold for a group walk to lessons this week, as part of a new initiative which is being rolled out across the Bailiwick's primary schools.

The WOW Challenge encourages children to walk, cycle, scoot or 'park and stride' to school at least once a week, with badges on offer each month for those who complete it.

So far Vale, St Anne's, La Mare De Carteret Primary, Blanchelande Juniors and St Martin's have also signed up, with La Houguette being the first to take on the challenge.

"We hope that every child in the school will have access to participating in the WOW Challenge, whether it be walking with mum and dad, cycling independently after they've done bike ability, or participating in the walking bus," said Active Travel Officer for the Health Improvement Commission, Nix Petit.

Pictured: Some of the students walking to school.

"Active travel has been associated with a large amount of health benefits, both physical and mental, from increased cardiovascular function to reduced anxiety and increased productivity in the classroom. It also has a huge amount of social benefits and, obviously, we are walking and cycling instead of getting in a motorised form of transport, so we're reducing air pollution and carbon emissions, which is good for the environment."

The initiative has been introduced following the Young People's Survey, which showed only 33% of primary school children usually walk to school, while 2/3 of them would prefer to travel actively if they had the choice.

"It was really fun," said eight-year-old Indie Warren, who took part in La Houguette's walking bus from L'Eree yesterday morning. "We love going round the nature walks in the lanes by our house so it was a bit like that. We do that quite a lot."

Pictured: Indie and Willow Warren, Indie Gallienne, Lexie Fisher and Joe Ward who all took part in La Houguette's first WOW Challenge.

Once they get to school, the children can log their activity using an online tracker, where they can check whether they are on the way to achieving their monthly badge.

Schools with an island-wide catchment area or early morning breakfast clubs will also be able to take part in the initiative with a walking bus alternative, encouraging children to take part in a walking route around the school grounds before they go in.

"By the end of the school year, I hope that every school will be participating in the challenge in one form of another," added Ms Petit.

Pictured top: All the students who took part in La Houguette's first WOW Challenge.