Debra the Zebra visited Hatfield Primary School on Wednesday to share her knowledge of road safety and present children with certificates for taking part in ‘Walk to School Week’.

Together with pupils all over the borough, children from Hatfield took part in the Autumn ‘Walk to School Week’ from 30 September – 4 October. During the week pupils and parents were encouraged to make a special effort to walk to and from school instead of travelling by car. If the journey was too far to walk then the message was, drive part-way and walk the rest – keep the school gate area clear of traffic. Walking to school activities such as this provide an opportunity for schools to promote sustainable transport, improve children’s health and have some fun as the assembly at Hatfield on Wednesday showed.

Larger than life, Debra presented children with colour coded certificates that indicated whether they had walked to school on ‘International Walk to School Day on 2nd October’, or if they had walked any other number of days during the week (a blue certificate) or whether the pupil had walked to school every day of the week (the much coveted green certificate!).

Together with Debra, the children showed through actions and responses that they knew key road safety lessons such as the Green Cross Code and the importance of being seen in the dark. Debra enjoys meeting children to teach them how to walk to school safely and is planning to visit more local schools during the school year.

If your school would like a visit from our favourite Zebra or would like more information on Walking to School or Road Safety initiatives in Merton, contact Emma Sheridan the School Travel Plan Co-ordinator on 020 8545 3192.

Remember: You don’t have to walk every day or all the way – a little and often, can make a huge difference.

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