Young active travel champions take centre stage in Liverpool celebration

Students from five local primary schools took part in workshops and showcased creative ideas to improve everyday journeys.

Hosted at Volair Huyton, the gathering drew students from five primary schools to mark the benefits of active travel and investigate how walking, wheeling, and cycling can contribute to building healthier neighbourhoods, less polluted air, and safer roads.

Via a sequence of hands-on workshops and conversations, they exchanged their suggestions on how to make it simpler for more households to complete brief trips without relying on an automobile.

Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram attended the event to listen firsthand to the students’ perspectives, right before naming Summerhill Primary School as the champion of a region-wide video contest highlighting active travel. The school’s submission captivated the panel with its imaginative look at the advantages of walking, wheeling, and cycling to class.

The schedule also featured a pledge-making session, directed by representatives from the Liverpool City Region Youth Combined Authority, providing both children and policy-makers a chance to promise their support for safer, healthier, and more eco-friendly school commutes moving forward.

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:

“We’ve already delivered miles of safer walking and cycling routes and introduced more School Streets to make the school run safer and less stressful. But my ambition is to make active travel the first choice for everyday journeys.

“Whether it’s walking or cycling to school, popping to the shops or commuting to work, we’re making it easier for people to leave the car at home.

“That means continuing to invest in better infrastructure, safer routes and programmes that give young people and families the confidence to travel actively. Walking, wheeling and cycling are good for our health, help tackle congestion and improve the air we all breathe.

“By making these journeys safer, simpler and more accessible, we’re giving people real choice in how they get around while creating healthier, greener communities for everyone.”

The event is integrated into broader initiatives aimed at inspiring more youth and families to opt for walking, wheeling, and cycling during short trips to form wellness habits that endure for life.

Active travel serves as a vital component of the Liverpool City Region’s vision for a contemporary, unified transit system, connecting with buses, trains, ferries, and upcoming developments like a new rapid transit network. Over £110m has been dedicated to active travel infrastructure across the territory, aiding in the creation of a 600km matrix of walking and cycling paths linking neighbourhoods throughout all six boroughs.

So far, 148km of fresh and modernised pathways have successfully been built, making it more secure and convenient for residents to walk, wheel, and cycle for daily commutes.

In tandem with funding physical infrastructure, the Combined Authority is collaborating with local municipalities, educational institutions, and neighbourhood allies to reinforce projects like School Streets, bicycle education, and lifestyle-shift campaigns that motivate more individuals to choose active transit.

Coordinators are optimistic that the Walking, Wheeling and Cycling Celebration will turn into a yearly tradition, offering additional young citizens the chance to pitch their ideas, motivate their peers, and advocate for active travel inside their classrooms and neighbourhoods.

Find out more about the initiative here.

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