Year 7 enjoyed a thought-provoking road safety theatre production which visited the school as part of a two-week tour of the East Riding.  

The nationally touring ‘What went down…’ roadshow aims to raise awareness of the dangers of roadside distractions, such as music, phones and friends, with a focus on how young people can identify and cope with peer pressure and avoid the bad influences that may impact their safety and well-being.

The hour-long event featured a live drama performance where various scenarios were played out. This was followed by an interactive workshop where students were asked questions based on what they’d seen, with an opportunity for them to ask their own questions and enter into a discussion about the show’s scenarios.

Overseeing the event was Teacher of PE and Children and Young People's Physical Activity Coordinator at Active Withernsea, Nick Richmond, who said: “The ‘What went down…’ roadshow was a great way to reinforce an important message of road safety to our students. The production team were really interested to hear about our on-going work with Active Travel and road safety, which led to an engaging question and answer session with our students.”

Meanwhile, the road safety theme continued at the school in the days following the roadshow with a follow-up visit from the East Riding Road Safety Team who provided an opportunity for the school’s young cyclists to access free safety equipment to help them stay safe on their bikes and scooters.

In celebration of national Road Safety Week, running from 19^th – 25^th November, students who regularly travel to school by bike were offered free lights, helmets and high-vis items of clothing.

Organised by the charity ‘Brake’, Road Safety Week is an annual week of awareness dedicated to providing safety advice to all road users and is supported by the police, schools and businesses to promote safer driving and road safety skills.

To help spread the charity’s message of safety to young cyclists, representatives from Active Withernsea joined Christian Jordan from East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s Road Safety Team to distribute the free equipment to students. Sets of the cycling accessories were also made available to young people who live in the wider area to help them stay safe when cycling in and around their own villages.

Christian said: “We are here not only to encourage more cycling, but also to encourage cyclists to be seen – especially throughout the winter months when its particularly dark.”

Helping to reinforce this work in school is a team of student Active Travel Ambassadors who have been recruited to help promote safe and sustainable travel to and from school.

At its most basic level, Active Travel is simply the promotion of walking, cycling or wheeling as a means of boosting fitness and reducing the number of journeys by car. This, in turn, helps to promote a shift towards healthier and more environmentally friendly travel.

Through a series of on-going activities and engagement opportunities, the ambassadors have been empowered to develop their own Active Travel plan for the school, with the support of national charities and organisations including sustainable travel champions, Modeshift, the Bikeability Trust, and East Riding of Yorkshire Council.

The Active Travel Ambassadors recently enjoyed their first meeting of the academic year where they were joined by Modeshift’s Jason McAleese, Active Travel Ambassador Coordinator for North Yorkshire, East Riding and York, to evaluate their work so far and help them move forward with their plans for the year ahead.

Their plans include the creation of safer cycling and walking routes to and from school, and the further promotion of healthier lifestyles and environmental considerations amongst students and the wider school community. A car share scheme and further ‘park and stride’ events, where those driving to school will be encouraged to drive part-way and complete the rest of their journey on foot, will also be pursued.

Nick Richmond said: “It was great to meet with our Active Travel Ambassadors, and Jason from Modeshift, to reflect on our work so far and to make plans for the year ahead. We were delighted to be joined by four new ambassadors, all of whom are members of the school’s cycling club, who will help our existing members carry forward the successes of last year’s experiences to help make this year another positive year for Active Travel at Withernsea High School.”

Modeshift’s Jason McAleese, added: “It’s been a pleasure working with the school. The Active Travel Ambassadors have really embraced the programme and are fully supported by everyone at school and Team Modeshift. Their ideas are infectious and incredibly ambitious. I’m expecting some great results this year as we strive to improve on the travel plan from last year. Working with secondary schools and developing Active Travel habits is vitally important for everyone’s future, whether that’s physical health, mental well-being, or environmental issues. We’ve already seen more cycling and walking to school, and the support from staff getting behind the car share initiative has been inspiring”.

Following a successful Dragon’s Den-style pitch to industry experts at County Hall in April, the ambassadors secured £1,000 towards their campaign for sustainable travel. A similar opportunity to source additional funding will take place in March 2024, with the Active Travel Ambassadors now preparing for a new pitch to support their efforts. 

ABOVE: The 'What went down...' roadshow was a hit with Year 7. 

ABOVE: The school’s Active Travel Ambassadors enjoyed their first meeting of the academic year with Modeshift’s Jason McAleese.

ABOVE: Student Active Travel Ambassador, Leonard Westoby, with Christian Jordan from East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s Road Safety Team working together to add lights to bikes in the school’s cycle sheds.