To celebrate international walk to school month this October, 47 students from four primary schools in Hackney participated in a mass 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games themed walking relay, which will see the torches from the 1948 London Olympic Games and the 1956 Melbourne Games travel through all 33 London boroughs throughout the month.

Joined by Councillor Feryal Demirci, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, and local Metropolitan Police officers, the Hackney students marched the torches through the borough on Friday 14 October before handing them over to pupils from Tower Hamlets at the borough boundary in Victoria Park.

Councillor Feryal Demirci, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said: “Walking is a fun and healthy way to travel to and from school that can also help reduce traffic congestion and save time for parents. I’m delighted that children across Hackney can get involved in the exciting range of Olympic themed activities taking place in the borough in the run up to next year’s Games, while learning about the many benefits of walking daily as part of an active lifestyle for the future.”

The event also supported the Big WoW (Walk Once a Week) campaign that is part of the Council’s walk to school programme, which has seen the number of children walking to school in Hackney increase by 11 per cent since 2007/08.

Currently, 81 per cent of Hackney children live within one mile from their school yet only 67 per cent walk or cycle to school.

For more information about walking to school in Hackney visit: www.hackney.gov.uk/stp-walking