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Calling volunteers aboard the walking busWellington Shire Council is looking for volunteers to act as drivers and conductors on soon-to-be-introduced Walking School Buses – a new physical activity initiative aimed at primary school students. By Wellington Shire Council - 12th January 2004 - Back to News The pilot program, which has received $30,000 funding from VicHealth, is initially being targeted at students from St Thomas’, Guthridge, Sale ‘545’ and Araluen primary schools in Sale. It is being introduced from the start of the new school term in February.
Walking School Buses will take the form of convoys along specific routes, with children collected and added along the way. Each bus will have an adult volunteer acting as the driver at the front. Where there are more than eight passengers there will also be another adult at the back acting as the conductor.
The initiative has its origins in Canada. It is designed to help reduce the incidence of obesity by encouraging exercise, while also cutting traffic congestion around school drop off and pick up points and increasing awareness of community and road safety – all in a safe, friendly and supervised environment. In addition it should help cut road pollution, by reducing reliance on cars to ferry children to and from school.
Key to its success will be the involvement of adult volunteers, who will be fully trained by the Shire. Anyone interested in participating should contact the Council’s Walking School Bus Project Officer Lindy Butler by phone on 5142 3375, or email lindy@wellington.vic.gov.au
Following this initial pilot program, which is set to run for another eight months, the Council will be seeking to expand the initiative throughout Wellington.
Said Wellington’s Mayor John Jago: "This very worthwhile program is all about improving health and road safety amongst the younger members of our community, and reducing pollution and traffic congestion around schools.
"We’re very keen to get a number of adult volunteers on board, and the reward will be a great deal of personal satisfaction."
Source: www.gippsland.com Published by: news@gippsland.com
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