Team GB athlete Louise Hazel supports Kia Walking Bus Scheme

October 17, 2013

Team GB athlete Louise Hazel supports Kia Walking Bus Scheme

17.10.13

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Olympic heptathlete Louise Hazel has joined forces with Kia Motors (UK) Ltd. in support of the Kia Walking Bus. The Team GB athlete is helping to raise awareness of road safety and encourage children to get active and joined Lytchett Matravers Primary School in Poole on their
walk to school. Lytchett Matravers is the latest school to participate in the scheme which has now been running for 13 years.

The scheme encourages parents to ditch unnecessary car journeys and enable their children to travel safely to school on foot, walking as part of a chaperoned group. Kia's Walking Bus benefits children's health, eases road traffic and helps the environment. The scheme coincides with International Walk to School Month, running throughout October, where primary school pupils from across the UK join forces with children in more than 40 countries worldwide to celebrate the benefits of walking to school.

Research shows, 68 per cent of boys and 76 per cent of girls of school age are currently failing to meet the minimum recommendation of an hour's moderate physical exercise a day. While 48 per cent of primary school children live within one mile of their school and 75 per cent live within two miles, 63 per cent of children are still driven to and from the school gates every day.

"I think the Kia Walking Bus is a great initiative. It's a simple way to do something good for children's health and encourages children to keep active and fit within every-day-life. Furthermore, it's fantastic to know that the scheme contributes to reducing emissions and road traffic and helps us to create a healthier and safer walking environment for everyone," said Commonwealth heptathlon Gold Medallist Louise Hazel.

"The Kia Walking Bus has been running for over 10 years now. As a car company we think it is appropriate to promote responsible car use and healthy lifestyles for children, walking to school is an excellent way to encourage this," said Stephen Kitson, Director of Corporate Communications at Kia.