Bike to School Week benefits from PR campaign

The PR campaign for Bike to School Week is being run by London PR company Blue Rubicon and paid for by Cycling England.

The campaign’s press releases are published in full below. They use the tried and trusted method of generating headlines by giving journalists survey results.

The press releases point to Bikeforall.net as the repository of all Bike to School Week information.

Here’s the main link:

http://www.bikeforall.net/bike_to_school_week_2006.php

PRESS RELEASE 1:

Under embargo until 00.01 Monday 24 April 2006

– Kids spend more time in car than in PE –

Cycling to school is the answer to keeping kids fit

Nearly three quarters (73 per cent) of parents don’t think their child does enough exercise at school. Cycling could provide the answer as over a third (35 per cent) identify cycling to school as one of the easiest ways of including exercise in their child’s day according to a poll commissioned by Cycling England to coincide with today’s launch of Bike to School Week 2006.

Children who are ferried to school by car spend an average of two hours and 35 minutes per week in their vehicle, which is equivalent to eight per cent of school time, compared with only five per cent of school time doing physical education1.

The research also reveals:

67 per cent of parents see improved health and fitness as a key benefit of their child cycling to school

59 per cent of parents whose child cycles to school regularly noticed an improvement in their child’s physical development and a quarter say cycling has improved their child’s mental development

More dads (28 per cent) than mums (20 per cent) see cycling as increasing their child’s confidence

36 per cent of parents feel that by cycling to school, their child would help to reduce congestion and pollution

Currently 81 per cent of children travel less than five miles to school, a distance which can be covered by bike – however only two per cent cycle to school. Improved facilities would help to shift this trend as 37 per cent of mums and dads said if their child received on-the-road training and their area had good routes to schools, they would definitely let their child cycle to school.

Phillip Darnton, Chairman of Cycling England, said:

“Bike to School Week, which starts today, is a great opportunity for young people to give cycling a go. Cycling to school is not only fun and inexpensive; it’s also a great way of introducing exercise into your child’s daily routine and establishing a good habit of activity for later life. Why not accompany them on your bike too?

“It’s very encouraging that parents will let their children cycle to school if they receive on the road training. The new National Cycle Training Standard has been developed to do just that. This new cycle training will give parents the confidence that youngsters have the necessary skills to cope with today’s road conditions. Of course parents want to see better routes to school and we are working with partners to make this happen. If parents aren’t aware of an existing safe cycle route to their school or want to find out more about cycle training or Bike to School Week, they can visit HYPERLINK "http://www.bikeforall.net" www.bikeforall.net for more information.”

For more information on Bike to School Week and all you need to know on cycling to school in general, log onto http://www.bikeforall.net

PRESS RELEASE 2:

Under embargo until 00.01 Monday 24 April 2006

Parents could save £520 million a year on school run

– Kids spend more time in car than in PE –

Parents of 11-18 year olds could save £520 million a year if their child cycled to school.

The research commissioned by Cycling England to coincide with today’s launch of Bike to School Week 2006, shows pupils could save time as well as cash. In fact, one in three parents (36 per cent) think their children could save up to 40 minutes a day by cycling to school and 32% believe up to £4 a day could be saved.

Children who are ferried to school by car spend an average of two hours 35 minutes per week in their vehicle, which is equivalent to eight per cent of school time, compared with only five per cent of school time doing physical education1.

Currently 81 per cent of children travel less than five miles to school, a distance which can be covered by bike – however only two per cent cycle to school. Improved facilities would help to shift this trend as 37 per cent of mums and dads said if their child received on-the-road training and their area had good routes to schools, they would definitely let their child cycle to school.

Phillip Darnton, Chairman of Cycling England, said:

“Bike to School Week, which starts today, is a great opportunity for young people to give cycling a go.

“Children who cycle regularly to school will not only enjoy it, in many cases they will find it helps them to beat congestion, save money and ensure exercise plays a part in their daily routine. Establishing a habit of exercise is key, especially when you consider that inactive children are at risk of suffering from illnesses such as coronary heart disease later on in life.

"It’s very encouraging that parents will let their children cycle to school if they receive on the road training, as a new National Cycle Training Standard has been developed to do just that. Confidence that your child is properly trained gives parents the necessary assurance that youngsters have the skills to cope with today’s road conditions. The fact that parents want to see better routes to school is also good news as we are working with partners to make this happen. If parents aren’t aware of an existing safe cycle route to their school or want to find out more about cycle training or Bike to School Week, they can visit http://www.bikeforall.net for more information.”

For more information on Bike to School Week and all you need to know on cycling to school in general, log onto http://www.bikeforall.net