Council
More than 5,600 Blackburn with Darwen pupils took part in walking, wheeling and scooting school scheme
More than 5,600 pupils across Blackburn with Darwen have taken part in a scheme encouraging children to walk, wheel, scoot or cycle to school, recording an impressive 191,000 journeys between April and July 2026.
New figures from UK charity Living Streets show that 23 schools across the borough participated in the WOW Travel Tracker programme, commissioned by Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council.
The initiative encourages children to choose healthier and more sustainable ways of travelling to school, with 57% of recorded journeys made by pupils walking or wheeling all the way.
Participating schools have also seen a 30.6% reduction in car journeys compared with baseline figures collected before joining the programme.
Darwen school tops regional leaderboard
Among the highlights of the summer term was St Barnabas Church of England Primary Academy in Darwen, which secured first place in the Regional WOW Top Ten leaderboard challenge.
The school has seen the proportion of pupils driven all the way to school fall dramatically, from a baseline of 60% to just 12% of journeys.
St Paul’s RC Primary School in Feniscowles is also set to join the programme during the 2026/27 academic year, helping even more children benefit from active travel.
Making routes to school safer
The programme is supported by Blackburn with Darwen Council’s ongoing investment in safer and more attractive routes to school.
Working with schools and Living Streets, the council has introduced improvements across the borough, including pedestrian crossings, traffic-calming measures, speed reduction initiatives and parking restrictions.
These measures aim to make streets around schools safer, particularly during busy drop-off and pick-up times.
At St Luke & St Philip’s CE Primary School in Blackburn, a Living Streets School Route Audit identified several barriers to active travel, including fly-tipping, a deteriorating footway, a lack of safe crossing points and parking problems.
In response, the council delivered improvements including:
- A safer junction with new railings
- Double yellow lines to reduce congestion
- A dropped kerb to improve accessibility
- A new paved footway
- Clearance of litter and fly-tipping along the route
Similar improvements are planned elsewhere in the borough.
Following a School Route Audit at St Francis RC Primary School in January 2026, involving pupils, parents and staff, the need for a pedestrian crossing on Preston Old Road near Cherry Tree Lane was identified.
The new crossing is due to be installed.
Helping children develop healthier habits
Councillor Julie Gunn, Executive Member for Children, Young People and Education, said:
“Taking part in the WOW programme helps children build healthy habits from an early age, showing them that being active can become a simple part of everyday life.
“These journeys aren’t just benefiting pupils, they’re encouraging whole families to make healthier choices together, whether that’s walking to school, spending more time outdoors or being more active as part of their daily routine.
“The fact that more than 190,000 journeys have been recorded is a tremendous achievement and a reflection of the commitment shown by our schools, staff, pupils and parents. They should all be very proud of the difference they are making.”
Councillor Quesir Mahmood, Executive Member for Growth and Development, said:
“Our Highways team is proud to co-ordinate this project alongside Living Streets and our schools, helping to create safer routes and encouraging more families to choose active travel.
“Improvements identified through School Route Audits such as crossings and parking restrictions mean we’re also investing in measures that make it easier and safer for children to walk, wheel and scoot to school.
“Every journey made on foot, by scooter, wheelchair or bike helps to reduce traffic congestion around school gates, improve air quality and make our neighbourhoods safer for everyone.”
Programme to continue throughout 2026/27
All existing WOW schools will continue to receive funding to participate during the 2026/27 academic year.
The new theme, Walk the Senses, encourages pupils to engage with the world around them during their journeys to and from school.
Daniel O’Connell, Project Co-ordinator at Living Streets, said:
“It’s brilliant to see more than 190,000 active journeys recorded across Blackburn with Darwen. That’s thousands of children choosing to walk, wheel, scoot or cycle to school and making a real difference.
“A 30 per cent reduction in car journeys is a great result too. It shows that when schools, families and pupils get behind WOW, small changes to the school run can really add up.
“I’m looking forward to building on this success and getting even more children enjoying active journeys to school in the 26/27 academic year.”
Which Blackburn with Darwen schools are taking part?
The 23 schools currently participating in the WOW programme are:
- Audley Junior School
- Avondale Primary School
- Brookhouse Primary School
- Cedars Primary School
- Daisyfield Primary School
- St Barnabas Church of England Primary Academy, Darwen
- Livesey Saint Francis’ Church of England School
- Longshaw Community Junior School
- Meadowhead Junior School
- Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School
- Roe Lee Park Primary School
- Shadsworth Junior School
- Shadsworth Infant School
- St Antony’s RC Primary School
- St Barnabas and St Paul’s Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
- St Cuthbert’s Church of England Primary School
- St Edward’s Roman Catholic Primary School, Blackburn
- St James’ Church of England Primary School, Earl Street
- St Luke and St Philip’s Church of England Primary School
- St Matthew’s Church of England Primary School
- St Stephen’s Church of England Primary School
- Sudell Primary School
- Wensley Fold Church of England Primary Academy
Schools interested in joining Blackburn with Darwen Council’s WOW programme can contact Project Co-ordinator Daniel O’Connell at daniel.oconnell@livingstreets.org.uk.