Words by Liz Hannaford
Photos by Bryony Evens
Our latest local WalkRide group had a lively launch at Denton Carnival in Tameside’s Victoria Park on 8 September.
The group’s main focus is making the school run to the 13 schools in their area more civilised. To assist with getting the message across, they were helped on the stall by pupils from Russell Scott Primary School who have volunteered to be Junior PCSOs, politely asking parents to turn off their engines at the school gates.
Children visiting the stall put pins on a map to show which school they attend, then attached stickers to a chart to show how they travel there – a great way to generate interest in the WalkRide message.
WalkRide Denton’s organiser, Bryony Evens, said: “We had some good chats with local people. A few already sounded fired up enough to want to join as active members!
“The local MP and the leader of Tameside Council dropped by the stall and were very supportive.
“We’re now thinking about our next steps – perhaps organising a walk around a local school to look at what makes it easy and what makes it hard to walk or cycle there.”
A stall at a community event is a great way to raise awareness and get local people thinking about alternatives to their short car trips.
If you’d like to find out more and get involved with WalkRide Denton, please contact Bryony.Evens@walkridedenton.org.uk