Derbyshire school unveils new space for cycle and scooter parking after successful funding bid

Bramley Vale Primary School installed the new facilities following a successful funding bid to Derbyshire County Council to support its ‘Active Bodies Active Minds Project’, which looks at tackling obesity among children by encouraging them to be more active.

It means the school can now offer parking for 10 scooters and six bikes, while giving parents peace of mind that their child’s equipment is stored safely.

The funding bid also saw the Bramley Vale Primary receive enough money to install two new basketball nets – something which it didn’t have before.

Headteacher Rob Rumsby said: “We're always looking for alternative ways of coming to school because we’ve got a big push to keep our children active.

"They had nowhere to store a bike or a scooter and we had no basketball equipment for our court; we had these gaping holes in our activity provision so I put together a letter called ‘operation active’ which I submitted to councillor James Barron [County Councillor for the Tibshelf Division].

"He absolutely got on board with it as he’s passionate about children finding alternative ways to come to school others than cars because he was a cyclist as a boy, he used to ride to school himself and I’ve done that.

“We’re just trying to do everything we can in this community – which is Bramley Vale, Blackwell, Doe Lea – and give them as much encouragement to keep on the go.”

And Mr Rumbsy said Bramley Vale Primary has already seen an uptake in children using their bike or scooter to travel to or from school.

"The children are enjoying using the [parking racks],” he explained. “It gives them somewhere safe and secure to store their equipment and the basketball nets are just the best thing ever.

"We’ve got some children who routinely bike now, some who periodically bike and some regular scooter users. I think that’s only going to grow.

"A lot of our children walk as we’re a village school but it keeps that variety and gives them options.”

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