By Jill Stocks
Residents of Horsforth are encouraged to take their own climate action next week as part of Move It Horsforth, a community wide active travel week organised by Horsforth Climate Action.
From Monday 18 to Friday, 22 May children and their parents are being asked to leave the cars at home for the school run and use a more active and environmentally friendly mode of transport, whether that be on foot or on wheels.
There will also be various activities next week, following on from a successful week of events last year, from science to art and nature, encouraging awareness of the environment around us in our community. Seven primary schools across Horsforth are taking part.
Penny Pinn, from Horsforth Climate Action, said: “Move it Horsforth is our name for walk to school week this year in Horsforth.
“As well as encouraging children at school to walk to school or use other forms of active travel, whether that’s cycling, scootering, skateboarding, roller blading, so that they are trying to use the car less, we’re also hoping the whole community will embrace it and anyone will try and use more active travel.
“We’ve done assemblies in schools to promote it. And the schools have all borrowed air pollution monitors so that they’ll be able to be scientists analysing the air around their playgrounds to see how much pollution there is.
“We’ve organised some bike fixes at the farmers market and at a couple of the schools so the children’s bikes have been able to be repaired.
“All the children are given a recording sheet for seeing if they’ve been able to walk to school but as part of that also there’s a nature treasure hunt, encouraging them to, while they’re walking to school, be more mindful about the nature that’s around them, so looking round for insects and flowers and trees.
“And also to do artwork, because in the Walk of Art, which is the first weekend in July, Horsforth Climate Action is doing a big event at the Grove Centre and we’re inviting people to do artwork about nature and about active travel so some of the children’s art will be displayed there as well.”
People across Horsforth, of all ages, are invited to submit entries for the creative competitions. You can submit artwork, photography or creative writing, inspired by your journey to work or school, by foot, scooter, or cycle, with all entries displayed at the Grove event on the weekend of July 4 and 5.
Photos can be submitted by email or you can take copies or your entry to the Grove Church on Friday, 3 July, between 3pm and 6pm.
Horsforth Climate Action is a group of local volunteers committed to community action which promotes sustainability and tackles climate change in Horsforth. Individuals and businesses are welcome to get involved and you can find out more on their website or Facebook page.
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