Active Travel Fair In Otley Is A Great Success
The Fair at Prince Henry's Grammar School was organised by the Family of Schools using money from Otley Town Council's successful bid for funding from West Yorkshire Combined Authority to boost cycling and walking.
It attracted over 300 children and their parents and carers.
Local organisations joined the Family of Schools, with Otley Athletics Club running activities, while Otley Cycle Club ran their roller cycle racing, alongside Chevin Cycles and Bike Futures.
Year 8 Sports Leaders from Prince Henry’s Grammar School ran a scooter maze and a backwards obstacle course – ending with children having great fun on retro bouncy hoppers.
Meanwhile, LS-TEN ran a Roller Disco in the school Sports Hall – a highlight for many visitors – and a Skate Jam at the Wharfemeadows Skate Park. The Skate Jam was the culmination of a free skateboarding course, led by LS-TEN, as part of the WYCA bid, attended by students in Year 6 and 7 from local schools.
Otley Town Council also attended, with the Fair being the first outing for their new e-bike, with Councillor Mick Bradley and Lianne Letts, OTC Projects Officer, there to join the fun.
One parent said: “My girls (aged 7 and 8) had a brilliant time at the Active Travel event. They roller booted for well over an hour, developing their skills and confidence massively. They also really enjoyed taking part in cycling and athletics activities. The staff and facilitators were friendly and encouraging, creating a fun and informal environment for children to try out new activities. We are very much looking forward to the next one!”
The Prince Henry’s Active Travel Ambassadors were also at the event, promoting their Feet First scheme, which is aimed at getting parents and carers to drop their children off in the local car parks, as agreed with the owners, reducing traffic on the Otley bridge and congestion around the entrances to Prince Henry’s.
The Active Travel Ambassadors were successful in gaining some funding for their scheme from Modeshift Stars, with support also coming from Otley Town Council, Leeds City Council and the Wharfedale Hospital.
“It was fantastic to see so many children and their parents and carers at the Active Travel Fair,” said Pippa McPherson, Admin Manager: Community Engagement at Prince Henry’s, who organised the event on behalf of the Family of Schools. “All our schools are engaged in trying to encourage our students to travel to school as actively and safely as possible and reducing the pollution and congestion in our town and the event gave us the chance to highlight the multitude of different ways people could travel – although I’m not sure bouncy hoppers will be practical on the school run! The successful WYCA bid has really opened up the options for us all in Otley and, as a Family of Schools, we are looking forward to continuing to work with Otley Town Council and other local organisations to really make a difference to the way that people travel in Otley, where possible.”
The Active Travel Fair is the latest in a series of events run by the local schools to promote healthy living and is the first to focus specifically on Active Travel. Many of the schools are involved in working with the Modeshift Stars Travel Plan scheme, aimed at encouraging travelling actively and reducing congestion and pollution on the school run.
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