Mayo schools compete to win Big Travel Challenge 2022

TWENTY-TWO schools in Mayo have started February with a plan to change their travel habits for good.

An initiative of the Green-Schools Programme, the Big Travel Challenge 2022 asks school communities to focus on a mode of active travel like walking, cycling or scooting, and try to get as many people using that mode as possible over a period of ten school days.

The 22 Mayo schools are currently working on the Travel theme of the Green-Schools Programme with the challenge being promoted to schools previously awarded for the theme, a figure of 2269 nationally.

This year’s challenge is celebrating seven years of successfully encouraging more students to enjoy the benefits of getting to school on foot, on wheels or by public transport. Walking, cycling and scooting to school can be an opportunity to increase physical activity in the darker winter months, when time spent outdoors is reduced.

In 2020 St. Colmcille’s Senior National School, Kells, Co. Meath were named ‘Ireland’s Travel School of the Year’ following their efforts to increase the numbers of staff and students walking to school. The overall winning school in 2022 will receive a cash prize of €1,000 to be used for their Green-Schools Travel programme, with four runners up each receiving prize of €500.

In 2022 Green-Schools are looking for all schools big and small, rural and urban, primary, secondary and education centres that will take on the challenge of achieving a measurable increase in a sustainable mode of travel. Schools are asked to promote one mode and to record their results to form an application to win the Big Travel Challenge.

Find out more at www.greenschoolsireland.org and check out your local school’s progress on social media by searching #BigTravelChallenge