The Big Pedal – Has Your School Signed Up?

How can you inspire more children to cycle or scoot to school this spring? One great way is to make sure your school signs up to Sustrans Big Pedal, the UK’s largest inter-school cycling and scooting challenge. It’s free to enter and there’s a chance to win some great prizes… including Brightkidz goodies.

Track Your Progress Around the World

This year’s challenge is coming up – it will run from 23 April to 4 May and is open to individual classes as well as whole schools.

On each day of the challenge schools compete to see who can record the greatest proportion of their pupils, staff and parents cycling or scooting to school. A school’s best five days will determine their final position, but they can log journeys on all ten days if they wish.

Schools can track the combined progress of all their pupils on a Big Pedal world map to see how far they can get. Winners of the Big Pedal Challenge will receive an exclusive Sustrans Big Pedal trophy.

Brightkidz Prizes on 1st May

But that’s not all… there are more opportunities to win prizes. Schools and classes will be entered into daily prize draws if over 15% of their pupils take part. Rewards include bike and scooter stunt shows and equipment.

For schools taking part on Tuesday 1 May, there is the chance to win some great Brightkidz goodies. Prizes include class sets of Brightkidz waistcoats – in orange, yellow or an assortment of different colours. These can be used to keep pupils bright when cycle training, to kit out a walking bus or for class monitoring when taking pupils out and about. Other popular uses are for playground buddy schemes and for Junior Road Safety Officers to wear when out doing traffic surveys.

For Secondary Schools Too

For the winning secondary school on 1 May there is a pack of 10 LED Shoe Clips – to clip to trainers when cycling at night… ideal for the star cyclists in the school. In addition the winning secondary school prize will get one of our Cycle and Scoot Shop Starter Packs. These are great for budding entrepreneurs as the kit enables them to start up a mini shop in school to sell cycle and scooter related goodies to pupils from younger years and help them to bling their rides. Enabling older pupils to engage with and help promote active travel to younger years could even lead to big brother teaching little sis to cycle!

Dress Up or Bling It!

To celebrate the finale of The Big Pedal, on Friday 4 May pupils, parents and staff are encouraged to dress up as their favourite superhero for the day and decorate their bikes or scooters.

This year Sustrans are aiming for 2,000 to take part in the Big Pedal. Schools that previously took part when surveyed said that a whooping 75% of pupils continued to cycle or scoot to school following the event. 93% of participating schools surveyed said it raised awareness of cycling and scooting in their school. So get involved and see how you can make a difference to your school.