Pupils and teachers at Heathfield Primary School in Basford celebrate putting their best foot forward!
Presented with the first ever Big Wheel Best Foot Forward award in recognition of their efforts to promote healthy ways to get to school, the giant wooden foot sculpture was unveiled at the school assembley on 15th December 2005, by headteacher Gary Fullwood and artist Dan Hilton.
The school is involved in Nottingham City Council’s Footprint campaign – a 20-week scheme designed to encourage more children to walk to school at least once a week. 10,000 of Nottingham City’s 36,000 school children are taking part. Only half way through the campaign already 225 pupils out of 238 (95%) at Heathfield Primary and Nursery School walk to school at least once a week. And they each have a Footprints passport to prove it!
The Education Department at Nottingham City Council invited all city schools to take part in a new and exciting walking project they have initiated. Footprints launched on 3 October 2005 to coincide with International Walk to School Week and will run up until Easter 2006. It aims to get all city school pupils to walk to school once a week for 20 weeks in an effort to create a long term, sustainable modal shift in the way children travel to school.
The initiative is the brainchild of the Education Transport Team and is designed to increase walking and reduce car dependency. The scheme forms part of a package offered by Nottingham City Council to schools to support their School Travel Plans and encourage pupils and their families to walk to school, promote a healthier lifestyle, reduce congestion outside the school gates and help to create a cleaner, greener city.
Gary Smerdon-White of Greater Nottingham Transport Partnership’s Big Wheel, the campaign to promote the use of public transport, cycling and walking in Greater Nottingham, says: “It is the first year the Big Wheel’s Best Foot Forward has been awarded. Like the National Footprint award, it recognises how crucial it is that young children learn that walking to school can be great fun and good for the environment. It’s a perfect way to reduce congestion, improve air quality, support a school travel plan and help get children moving. Well done everyone at Heathfield Primary and Nursery School on being shining examples of how small steps make all the difference.”
Heathfield Primary and Nursery School head teacher Gary Fullwood adds: “We are delighted to be the first ever winners of this award, which is testament to the hard work of our teaching team and the enthusiasm of our pupils and their parents, despite the cold weather. It’s all about changing attitudes to travel and we hope to continue to do this on an on-going basis after the Footprints campaign finishes at Easter.”
Sculptor Dan Hilton carved the huge foot at The Big Wheel’s Big Day Out family fun arts and environment day at Nottingham Castle in September. He says of his creation: “I wanted to make a huge visual impact with this sculpture, hence its size. Our feet give us our independence and hopefully the Heathfield school pupils and teachers will be reminded to vote with their feet and enjoy it over the next 12 months!”
