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This article was published on Tuesday, 12 September, 2017. The information contained within may be out of date or inaccurate. News articles and media releases older than 60 days are archived for future reference.

Helping Shepparton Families Walk to School this October

Greater Shepparton City Council will work with local primary schools to deliver a range of activities encouraging more families to walk, ride or scoot to school this October thanks to a $10,000 grant from VicHealth.

Greater Shepparton City Council Director Community Kaye Thomson said VicHealth’s Walk to School program is a free, easy and fun way for kids to get active and learn healthy habits for life.

“Council is delighted to be part of this important initiative. We will be providing an incentive for schools that sign up and submit their Walk to School data, with the chance to receive a new bike rack for their school, as well as support in developing “safe to school” maps and running competitions during the month of October.

“Last year four local schools participated in this great VicHealth initiative, and we encourage more primary schools to get involved this year to make Walk to School even bigger and better.

“We’d love to see more families walking, scooting or riding in Greater Shepparton to help local kids get active and build healthy habits, confidence and friendships,” said Ms Thomson.

Local schools which participate in Walk to School will receive certificates to celebrate their students’ achievements, and will be in the running for a series of prizes provided by VicHealth.

VicHealth CEO Jerril Rechter said each year the Walk to School program continues to grow with more and more schools taking part with fantastic results.

“Last year more than 144,000 kids from over 750 schools across Victoria took part in Walk to School. Together they walked more than 2.2 million kilometres – the equivalent of walking almost 55 times around the world,” Ms Rechter said.

“This year, we hope to see even more local kids getting active as they travel to and from school. If you can’t walk all the way, there are many great opportunities to get involved and support your school. Try parking the car a few blocks from school and walk, ride or scoot the rest.

“VicHealth’s Walk to School initiative is a fun, free way to get school kids active and help them build lifelong healthy habits. It’s also a great way for parents and carers to enjoy some quality time with their kids.”

To find out more about local Walk to School activities, Greater Shepparton schools can contact the Healthy Communities Team within Council’s Active Living Department on 03) 5832 9431 or by visiting http://www.walktoschool.vic.gov.au.