Camden News - by CLARE WEBB Published: 12 February 2009
Pupils at Hampstead Parochial team up with Tom Conti for the Walking Bus
Stepping out: ‘Walking bus’ provides young pupils with a healthy route to school
CHILDREN have ditched traditional methods of getting to school and started walking instead. In a bid to get valuable extra exercise, reduce emissions and help alleviate traffic congestion on the school run, pupils at Hampstead Parochial School formed a “Walking Bus” on Friday morning.
Dressed in high visibility jackets the children, aged four to 11, walked hand-in-hand along an agreed route from West End Green, West Hampstead to the school in Holly Bush Vale. Despite the chilly conditions, Shirley Valentine actor Tom Conti and Camden’s school chief Councillor Andrew Mennear joined the trail.
The Walking Bus, which is the only one running in Camden, will initially run on Friday mornings but there are plans to increase it to a daily service as soon as possible, as well as introduce more buses from different locations.
Hampstead Parochial headteacher Rebecca Harris said: “This is obviously a really positive development for the school.”