Our Aims and Objectives
Social Objectives
1. To promote safe, active, sustainable everyday travel for children and adults – for health, environment, social and community benefits 2. To promote the social enterprise and co-operative ways of doing business – addressing challenges with commercial solutions whilst putting people and planet before profit.
Our Aims
Our approach is to change hearts and minds with positive actions, practical information and effective resources to enable and encourage more children to walk, scoot or cycle safely to school and more adults to choose active travel for everyday journeys. We do this through our projects, products and information and by working with partners from local authorities, businesses and the community – locally, nationally and globally.
With transport the largest source of carbon emissions in the UK, activity levels amongst children at an all time low, air quality at dangerous levels and road traffic collisions the number one cause of death amongst teenagers and young adults, the challenges are great but through social enterprise we can work together to be part of the solution.
1. PROJECTS:
To develop and deliver projects which enable schools and other organisations to promote safe, active, sustainable everyday travel for all.
Things We’ve Done: Developed our ST:EPS project (Safe Travel: Enabling Pupils and Schools), supporting Northamptonshire primary and secondary schools to develop and deliver school travel plans and achieve Modeshift STARS accreditation. Supported Brake road safety charity’s Youth for Brake initiative by delivering the project to Warwickshire secondary schools.
Some of Our Plans: To extend our ST:EPS project further afield to reach more schools in collaboration with local authorities. To work with partners to develop and deliver accredited active travel plans for large, non-school sites such as a heritage park.
2. INFORMATION:
To develop and provide or help share useful, relevant, practical information for teachers, parents and school travel professionals about safe, active, sustainable travel for children.
Things We’ve Done: Published information online and in print on walk to school initiatives such as the Walking Bus, Park & Stride, along with tips for success, regular informative blogs and events guides. Hosted three training events for road safety professionals which were delivered by the Road Safety GB Academy.
Some of Our Plans: To work with more local schools to develop more educational resources. To continue to develop our blog posts, twitter updates and website content to become an essential resource for those who share our aims.
3. PRODUCTS:
To provide quality products that support initiatives related to promoting walking, cycling, scooting and road safety.
Things We’ve Done: Developed a range of over 100 products, including unique and innovative specialist packs for schools, to support our aims. Helped schools promote the ‘be bright’ message even when short of budget by developing our Reflector Shop Starter Pack – enabling pupils to set up their own reflector stall and sell at pocket-money prices. Extended our range of active travel products with more educational resources and services. Developed our Brand My Thingy range of general promotional products with 100% of profits ploughed back to support our active travel initiatives.
Some of Our Plans: To continue to review our product range and liaise with customers to ensure the range will meet their future needs. To develop the range of services we offer such as ST:EPS support and scooter training.
4. PARTNERS:
To work with other professionals and organisations in the field to promote related campaigns, resources and activities.
Things We’ve Done: Presented at conferences eg Institute of Road Safety Officers Conference (University of Holloway, London). Partnered with local authorities to promote walking buses to schools (eg Hackney) and Brightwayz ST:EPS supported by the Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.
Some of Our Plans: To continue our partnership with Modeshift, sponsoring awards both within the profession and for schools such as the STARS school travel awards scheme. To develop further partnerships with those working both within and outside the sustainable travel profession.
5. SPONSORS:
To help businesses to engage with schools and support safe, active, sustainable travel for children.
Things We’ve Done: Worked with The Co-operative Group for eight years to provide resources for their UK-wide Walking Bus initiative. Through our ST:EPS projects we have linked businesses to schools, so they can make a real contribution to promoting active travel for children by sponsoring workshops and donating supporting products.
Some of Our Plans: To continue to develop and promote our ST:EPS projects with the support of more businesses, enabling them to have a great positive impact on local children’s lifestyles, health and the wider environment including the reduction of carbon emissions. To develop ad hoc active travel or road safety projects with larger corporate organisations wishing to support schools.
6. FOR ALL:
To promote safe, active, sustainable everyday travel for all.
Things We’ve Done: Started development of our Brightwayz brand, resources and information to support active travel to work campaigns. Supplied many UK local authorities with products to help support and promote their active travel campaigns.
Some of Our Plans: To develop and support active travel projects with a wider range of organisations wishing to encourage staff to travel in more sustainable ways. To continue to support active travel professionals with resources and information to enable them to run successful campaigns. To provide impact measurement support to enable businesses to recognise the value of promoting active travel in terms of reduced staff absence, reduced demand on car park facilities and reduced carbon emissions from commuter travel.
7. GLOBAL TO LOCAL:
To address issues at a local, national and international level.
Things We’ve Done: Taken part in the 2019 Global Alliance of Road Safety NGOs conference to learn and share good practice from other countries. Worked with local authorities from across the UK on a range of projects such as the Walking Bus resource development with Bath and North East Somerset Council. Supported local school with taking part in UN Road Safety Week.
Some of Our Plans: To continue to network via social media with active travel and road safety professionals from overseas. To continue to support active travel campaigns across the UK. To help improve active transport options (and generally vibrancy) for our own town centre by leading on the constituting of Kettering Town Centre Partnership as a community interest company.
8. SOCIAL ENTERPRISE:
To promote Brightkidz as a social enterprise and co-operative and promote these as good ways of doing business.
Things We’ve Done: In 2019 we were listed in the NatWest SE100 index of the top 100 UK social enterprises. Took part in The Exchange (exhibiting and speaking) to promote Co-operatives and mission-led business at Greenbelt Festival August 2017. Made a series of presentations about social enterprise to local authority sustainable travel professionals based on our our blog on social enterprises working in sustainable travel and road safety. Led on our local application attempting to achieve Social Enterprise UK Place status. Produced a short video about our and other social enterprises in our town ‘Who’s Bettering Kettering?‘
Some of Our Plans: To create clearer impact measurement for ourselves and our customers. To develop and promote our Reflector Shop Starter Packs for schools as a way of encouraging co-operative enterprise within schools.
Your Turn Now…
Would you like to come on board with us and partner with us in some way?
If so, we’d love to discuss your aims and how they fit in with ours.
Great partnerships start with a first contact. Get in touch today.