Wokingham Borough Connect
 Schools
Wheatfield School Pupils Be Bright Be Seen
Our school travel officer gave an assembly at Wheatfield Primary School in Winnersh on 18 March to present one of their classes with high-vis jackets that Charlotte, a pupil at the school, had designed as part of our 'Design a High-Vis Jacket' competition.
Charlotte designed a fantastic image highlighting the need to wear bright coloured clothing to ensure that cars can see you when you are walking, cycling or scooting. Her design was printed onto the back of high-vis yellow jackets for everyone in her class and her classmates were very pleased to receive them.
As well as receiving the jackets, pupils also learned about why walking and cycling more can help them and the environment, and how they might be able to walk or cycle more often. Congratulations to Charlotte!
Evendons Primary School Wins Modeshift STARS Award
The Modeshift National School Travel Awards took place on17 March. Our My Journey Wokingham team nominated two schools – Evendons Primary School and Wescott Infants School, both in Wokingham - for the awards. Evendons Primary School was chosen as the winner of the STARS Local Authority Primary Schools of the Year 2021/22 for Wokingham borough making it a hat trick for the school. Please visit our website to find out more.
Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel
We now have 21 schools taking part in Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel which will run until 1 April. On each day of the challenge schools compete to record the greatest number of pupils walking, using a wheelchair, scooting or cycling to school. Please visit Sustrans website to find out more.
To celebrate Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel, the UK’s largest inter-school walk/cycle challenge, we are offering My Journey Wokingham Challenge users some extra prizes to win if they travel actively during the campaign during certain hours. There are two x £10 Amazon vouchers and two x £10 Decathlon vouchers.
The challenge is held on the Innovation Valley Rewards smartphone app. Find out more here.
Design a Medal Competition
There is still time to enter our competition to design a medal to celebrate the Winter Olympics. The design should be based on an active mode of travel to school and should be a simple design. The winning design will be made into biodegradable medals which can be planted in your garden or flower pots and the winner's class will all receive one. Please send your entries in by 31 March. Please visit our website to find out more.
Air Quality
Anti-Idling Banners
Three of our borough's air quality schools have been working really hard to produce a design to go onto their new anti-idling banners to reduce air pollution around their school. The new banners will be going up at the three schools which are, Wescott Infant School, Westende Junior and All Saints CoE Primary School, all in Wokingham, very soon. Find out more out about the sustainable material the banners are made of as well as a picture of the new banners by visiting our website.
Tree Planting
Our My Journey air quality officer and the pupils of Windmill Primary School in Woosehill, which is one of our 10 air quality schools, helped to plant lots of trees in their community last week. We had a little bit of help (well, a lot!) from Freely Fruity, a charity based in Sindlesham, along with the council's tree officer.
Trees help us to fight the effects of climate change and clean up the air we breathe so we’ve been encouraging all our air quality schools to plant more. Schools and communities can apply for free trees from the Woodland Trust scheme.
 Innovation Valley Rewards
We’ve joined up with Innovation Valley Rewards to encourage residents, workers and students to travel more actively and sustainably.
We are urging people to download the free Innovation Valley Rewards smartphone app, then take part in a local challenge promoted by our My Journey Wokingham team, as part of an ongoing effort to encourage healthier and greener forms of travel.
Individuals can log journeys and earn ValleyCoins, which can be redeemed for high street rewards or given to your favourite charity from within the app, as well as earning ValleyTickets to enter weekly and monthly prize draws.
So whether you walk, wheel, cycle, catch the train or bus, make sure you are logging your journeys to earn rewards.
 Regular Cycle Training & Activities
- Basic Bike Maintenance Workshops (£10) at 9.30am on 28 March at Scout Hall, Pinewood Leisure Centre, Wokingham - This is a course for people with very little (if any) knowledge of bike maintenance.
- Bikeability Learn to Ride sessions (£6) at FBC in Finchampstead (Wednesdays) and Woodford Park Leisure Centre (Thursdays) in Woodley
- FREE Balance Bike Clubs both at FBC (Wednesdays) and Woodford Park Leisure Centre (Thursdays)
- FREE Bike checks at Woodford Park Leisure Centre (Thursdays until 7 April)
- FREE Bike Checks at Culver Grove, Wokingham, RG40 5AL (10 April)
- FREE Bike checks at Shute End, Council Offices, Wokingham, RG40 1BN (11 April)
- Adult Cycle Training for Beginners/Improvers (£6) at Woodford Park Leisure Centre on Saturday mornings - starting up again on 30 April
Further information and how to book can be found on our website.
 Basic Bike Maintenance Workshops
We ran two basic bike maintenance workshops on Monday, 21 March at Pinewood Leisure Centre. The hands-on training teaches the attendees how to remove wheels from their bikes and how to change an inner tube in the event of a puncture. They were also taught basic checks to make sure their bikes are safe to ride and tips on looking after their bikes.
One participant said afterwards: “Today’s course was excellent, thank you and please thank Brent on my behalf.”
We are running another workshop Monday, 28 March - if you are interested in booking a place, please visit our website here.
 Events/Easter Holidays Cycle Training
Love to Ride Anywhere Week
Ride Anywhere Week is a spring campaign from 21-27 March to encourage people to enjoy the many benefits of riding a bike. There are four pledges to choose from: ride for transportation; riding with kids; riding for adventure or riding for health and fitness. Simply log a ride during Ride Anywhere Week and you could win a £500 gift card. Find out more and register at Love to Ride's website.
Easter Bike Bonanza
Our Easter bike bonanza will take place on Wednesday, 20 April at Shinfield St Mary's Junior School. We will be bringing our new smoothie bike along to the event so you will be able to make yourself a smoothie using pedal power! We will also be running a competition to find a name for our smoothie bike and there will be lots of other activities taking place at the event too including a bike obstacle course and Dr Bike. Look out for more information soon!
Easter Holidays Bikeability Cycle Training
11/12 April - Bikeability Level 1/2 at Woodford Park Leisure Centre, Woodley
12 April - Bikeability Learn to Ride at Woodford Park Leisure Centre, Woodley
19/20 April - Bikeability Level 1/2 at Woodford Park Leisure Centre, Woodley
19 April - Bikeability Level 3 at Woodford Park Leisure Centre, Woodley
21 April (am) - Bikeability Learn to Ride Level 1 at Woodford Park Leisure Centre, Woodley
21 April (pm) - Bikeability Learn to Ride at Woodford Park Leisure Centre, Woodley
21/22 April - Bikeability Level 1/2 at Woodford Park Leisure Centre, Woodley
The above courses will be run by Avanti Cycling - our cycle training provider - further information and how to book can be found on Avanti's website.
21 April - Bikeability Level 1 Plus at Finchampstead Baptist Centre, Finchampstead for children aged 7 and over
21 April - Bikeability Level 1 Plus at Finchampstead Baptist Centre, Finchampstead for children aged 7 and over with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
Further information and how to book can be found on our website.
Become a Bikeability instructor
If you love cycling and would like to train the next generation how to cycle then this could be of interest to you. Avanti Cycling are running a training course in Oxford in April and Bracknell in May and there are bursaries available to help with the training. Please contact greg@avanticycling.co.uk for further information.
Bikeathon
Wokingham Bikeathon is back this year on Sunday, 26 June! The event will start and finish at Cantley Park, Wokingham, RG40 5QG. There will be a choice of three routes to suit all abilities and ages: 15 miles, 25 miles or 35 miles (all with drinks stops and toilets). Further information can be found on Bikeathon's website. Registration is now open.
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