March school travel champions are national winners

Two Fenland teaching assistants have won a major national award for their work in encouraging 'greener' travel to school.

Ruth Johnson and Amanda Davey teaching assistants at All Saints Academy in March were announced as winners at the Modeshift 2020 National Sustainable Travel Awards.

Modeshift is the national organisation supporting sustainable safer school travel. For the first time, the awards took place online.

The annual awards are designed to recognise and reward projects, events or activities across the country that support and encourage sustainable travel, by highlighting best practice, showing innovation and being inspirational.

Modeshift members are invited to nominate initiatives they have been involved with, or those that have been undertaken in their area, that demonstrate the sustainable travel work of education providers (schools, colleges, universities), workplaces and community groups.

The finalists were chosen by all members with the winners chosen by Modeshift’s voluntary Board. Cambridgeshire County Council is a member of Modeshift and their road safety education officers, who have been working with All Saints on road safety and travel initiatives, nominated Ruth and Amanda for the Contribution to Sustainable Travel, category.

Their school travel schemes have reduced the number of people driving to school, enabled pupils to experience first class road safety education and successful und raising for a brand new cycle shelter at school. Ruth and Amanda even helped instal the shelter.

Ruth said “We are absolutely delighted with this award. We have worked hard (and had lots of fun along the way), and it is great to be recognised for all the activities Amanda and I have undertaken.

"The children are at the heart of everything we do, and they thoroughly enjoy all the activities, competitions, assemblies and our Superhero plays.This is what drives us."

Lyn Hesse, senior road safety officer in Cambridgeshire, said: “Congratulations to Ruth and Amanda and everyone at All Saints. The work done with our officers at schools across the county shows that our team are continuing to work hard, though the pandemic to run a range of innovate projects, events and activities to support active, safe and responsible travel."