National champion joins Leeds children for an inspiring walk
Published on: 9th January 2012
With just 200 days to go before the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games, British race walker Tom Bosworth and government minister Caroline Spelman will join children from two Leeds primary schools to launch an initiative which will see schoolchildren across the city walking the history of the games.
Walk the History of the Games will see schools going head-to-head in a race to walk, scoot and cycle their way around the globe as part of a challenge to help promote a congestion-busting, healthy and environmentally friendly way of travelling to school.
The aim of the challenge is to accumulate mileage that will enable schools to travel from the Olympic Games in Athens in 1896 through time and distance to London 2012, learning interesting facts about previous host cities along the way – while keeping fit and healthy.
Tom Bosworth will be getting the children of Adel and Adel St John primary schools off to a flying start with top tips for how to walk faster and make your steps count. He will also be overseeing walking races between children from various year groups at the two schools.
Tom, 21, is a British race walker who hopes to make the Olympic team his year. He is currently ranked top in the UK for 20kms in the under-23 age group. He competed for England in the 20 km race walk in the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010 and set a UK 5000m race walk record this year. Tom currently trains full-time at the UK race walking centre at Leeds Metropolitan University.
Caroline Spelman, Minister for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, will be travelling from London to join in the launch event.
Walk the History of the Games is one of 14 projects and programmes in Leeds that have been awarded the Inspire Mark by London 2012.
The London 2012 Inspire programme recognises innovative projects that are directly inspired by the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Tom Bosworth said: “Walking is an environmentally friendly way to travel and keeps you fit at the same time . By walking the history of the games children can feel they really are a part of this great worldwide movement. But the idea is that this project does not end when the Olympics finish. The Inspire programme is ensuring the legacy of the 2012 Games lives on by enabling children in Leeds to make positive life changes that will last for life.”
Councillor Adam Ogilvie, Leeds City Council’s executive board member with responsibility for leisure, said:
“Athletes like Tom Bosworth are an inspiration to children and young people everywhere. This initiative is a great way of getting young people involved with the Olympics and keeping them fit and healthy. Today’s ministerial visit underlines the importance of what we are trying to achieve. “
The scheme, which was developed by Leeds City Council transport policy section, is being delivered throughout West Yorkshire by the five district councils in partnership with the WYPTE (Metro).
There is still time for your school to take part. Leeds schools should email travelwise@leeds.gov.uk to register their interest.
