Miller Homes backs ‘Walk to School Month’ in Wesham

With daylight hours shortening, award winning house builder Miller Homes is providing pupils at Wesham C of E Primary School with high visibility armbands in support of the international Walk to School Month campaign, which runs from 1-31 October.

Miller Homes has its new Willow Fields development in Wesham and is keen to encourage children and their parents who live at Willow Fields, along with others in the village, to give walking to school a go rather than travelling by car.

The campaign is run by the charity Living Streets and supported by the Department of Transport and the BIG Lottery fund. The theme of this year’s Walk to School Month is ‘Count me in’ with the focus on measuring physical activity and helping pupils discover how easy it is to reach the recommended daily sixty minutes of moderate physical activity when walking to school is included.

People can find out more about Walk to School Month at walktoschool.org.uk. Teachers can also download a range of free resources from the website, including lesson and assembly plans.

Around 50% of children don’t walk to school regularly and an increasing number of pupils are being driven to school in a car, despite the fact that the average distance to primary schools remains around one mile. This trend is contributing to reduced physical activity and increased childhood obesity, urban congestion and air pollution.

Miller Homes has created a new residential community at Willow Fields, which features 3, 4 and 5 bedroom family homes. The developments’ countryside setting and proximity to the coast makes it the ideal location for people who enjoy being outdoors. With many families having already made Willow Fields their home, Miller Homes is supporting Walk to School Month and hoping that the 2008 total of over 3 million children in over 40 countries that walked to school during some part of Walk to School month, can be increased in 2009.

To find out more about living at Willow Fields, the incentives available, visit the Marketing Suite off Derby Road, Wesham, PR4 3AJ, which is open from Thursday to Monday from 10.30am to 5.30pm, or visit millerhomes.co.uk.