Active Travel and a Golden Blanket for Public Health
I’ve a long-held belief that having good, safe, sustainable and healthy travel options is a golden thread solution to so many challenges we face… not just in terms of public health (cycling as part of a daily commute reduces both the chance of cancer by 50% and heart disease by 46%) but also mental wellbeing, climate, road casualty reduction, social connectivity, thriving local economies and equality of access to opportunities.
But this story now is NOT about active travel! It’s about a golden blanket.
I recently read a Linkedin post by another local social entrepreneur, Ndah Mbawa. She runs Happier Every Chapter, which on the surface looks like a book stall. But like many social enterprises it has much more depth and purpose.
A huge benefit of active travel programmes are the impacts on public health, especially around prevention. One role of those of us working in the sector is to increase awareness of that potential so Public Health commissioners take it seriously, taking action and investing accordingly.
Ndah has a similar view but in terms of literacy. In her words… “What is often missing from prevention strategies is a stance on literacy, particularly reading for pleasure.
Evidence consistently shows that children who read for pleasure have:
- Better mental wellbeing
- Stronger self-regulation and self-esteem
- Higher long-term health literacy
- Improved life chances across the social gradien
This aligns directly with the intention of giving every child the best start in life and with ICS (Integrated Care Strategy) ambitions to shift investment upstream.
At Happier Every Chapter, we design literacy programmes and interventions that would sit within population health frameworks, not outside them. Inclusive books, reading confidence, belonging and better academic/social outcomes are protective factors that reduce future demand on health and social care systems.
Prevention does not always look clinical. Sometimes, it looks like a child who feels seen in a book, confident enough to use their voice and self-assured enough to value themselves above presenting life experiences.”
To those of us involved in promoting active travel there are many parallels to Ndah’s work in improving literacy and a shared feeling of ‘this is a solution to more than you think’. We all see our sectors, our solutions as ‘the golden thread’.
Reading Ndah’s comments about literacy opened my eyes to the potential of other golden threads too that can be woven together to bring ‘warmth’ - healthy and prosperity to our society. In her case, she is championing the value literacy plays and has built specialist knowledge and practical, available solutions to actually be ‘doing something about it’ .
This is one of the beauties of being a social entrepreneur and meeting others through our networks, whether at a local or national event.
Another example: through our local social enterprise network, NNSE, I’ve got to know Emma who runs Laugh Out Loud Theatre Company and Sally of Kettering Street Art CIC. Together we’re combining street art, street performance and active travel promotion at Brightwayz alongside climate messages to develop our ‘Art on the Route as you walk, wheel or scoot’ community project in Kettering. (But more on that another day!)
Our social enterprise networks bring together people with very different solution approaches - from literacy, active travel, theatre or art, - for the same sets of problems… especially for non-clinical, preventative measures to improve health. This enables real innovation and creativity combined with a passion and focus on shared goals.
Our golden threads are incredible on their own but weaving them together into a golden blanket brings real warmth!
Who could you be weaving a golden blanket with?
Here at Brightwayz social enterprise we love to provide information and tips to help you, your colleagues, friends and family travel in safe, active, sustainable ways for everyday journeys.
Our unique range of products is here to help support your active travel campaigns and 100% of profits from sales is ploughed back to support the work we do. Take a look at our range here and find something to help you inspire others to travel in good ways.
Reflector Shop pack
High Vis Child Waistcoat
Brightwayz Bike Bell