Children get on their bikes
A new bike shed built at a Huyton primary school is hoped to encourage youngsters to improve their health and fitness by cycling to school.
Knowsley Housing Trust (KHT) and sustainable transport charity Sustrans helped to pay for a bicycle shed at St Aloysius RC primary.
So far the shed, which was opened by Mayor of Knowsley Diane Reed, is said to have been a great success with more than 60 children cycling to school and storing their bikes there. Previously, bikes had been left in school grounds.
The school, in Twig Lane, has been working with parents and children to improve their health and well-being as part of its bid to achieve National Healthy Schools status.
‘Bike It’ breakfast mornings – where parents were encouraged to cycle their children early to school for breakfast – have already been held, followed by a ‘decorate your bike’ parade and ‘Doctor Bike’ sessions, where safety checks on bikes were performed.
Cycle skills sessions have also been held to increase children’s confidence on their bikes.
Head teacher Belinda Bassett said: “We are a healthy school and we do as much as we can to promote healthy living and prevent obesity by encouraging children to eat healthily and take part in exercise like cycling.
“The bike shed is fantastic. Lots of children from all age-groups are cycling to school. We even have some tots in reception coming in on their little bikes with stabilisers.
“Before the shed was built, the children left their bikes anywhere and everywhere. Now they can be stored safely. The shed has been a great success – so much so, we might need another one.”
The bike shed was made possible by funding from KHT and help from Sustrans, which donated £4,000.
Kelly Tasker, KHT’s neighbourhood officer for Huyton, said: “The new bike shed has helped St Aloysius in its attempt to tackle childhood obesity by encouraging its pupils to cycle to school every day. It’s great to see young people so enthused, to see them getting involved in such a healthy activity.”
Michelle Denny, who originated the funding proposal to KHT, said: “The school is working really hard towards getting Enhanced Healthy School status.
“Our targets have been around getting fit, being healthy and looking after the environment. Getting the bike shed fitted will help us to meet all of these targets and have fun at the same time.”
Sustrans Bike It officer for Merseyside, Lucy Sutcliffe, added: “The school is really dedicated to creating a lasting pro-cycling culture. The new cycle shed will encourage even more children to cycle to school while giving parents peace of mind about the safety of their child’s bike. We’ve held some great events this term, and there’s lots planned for next year to ensure that this cycle storage is full to bursting with bikes.”
Sustrans works with over 700 schools across the UK to help children overcome the barriers which are preventing them from cycling to school.
