THE MAYORS WALK AND WHEEL CHALLENGE
Save the date and join the challenge
May 18, 2026 - May 22, 2026
After 2 successful years with over 160 schools taking part, the Mayor’s Walk and Wheel Challenge is back for 2026.
Our strategy and schools
In September 2025 we published our walk Walking, Wheeling and Cycling Strategy, which places schools at the heart.
Why? Because building healthy habits early creates lifelong benefits.
South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard has launched his third Walk and Wheel Challenge for all primary schools in the region, in a special collaboration with Living Streets.
The Mayor’s Walk and Wheel Challenge 2025 takes place during Living Streets’ national Walk to School Week, between the 18 and 22 May 2026. This unique South Yorkshire collaboration means that the first 100 South Yorkshire primary schools joining the challenge will receive a free resource pack for KS1 and KS2 classes – including stickers, activity tracking charts, bookmarks and fun activity sheets.
The South Yorkshire challenge will also include a prize draw for participating schools to win more prizes than ever.
The Walk and Wheel Challenge encourages every primary school child in South Yorkshire to walk, wheel or cycle to school each day to become more active and healthier.
The challenge forms part of the Mayor’s key manifesto commitment to make South Yorkshire the best place in the country to walk, wheel and cycle for our children, with an ambitious plan for active travel with schools at its heart.
If you are already taking part in the Walk to School challenge (WOW) you’ll already be tracking active travel participation electronically and won’t require these packs. However, you can still sign up for Walk To School Week to get some SYMCA resources and be entered into the prize draw and have the chance for South Yorkshire’s Mayor, Oliver Coppard or the Active Travel Commissioner, Ed Clancy visit your school.
Living Streets’ shop page offers additional resources to make this Walk to School Week even more fun. From Walk to School banners, limited edition badges, to Strider mascot toys, make the most of your Walk to School Week! These resources are suitable for schools already taking part in WOW who want to offer an extra reward to those who walk to school every day of Walk to School Week.
Themes and activities to be announced
What's included in the resource packs
Your class will work together to make as many active journeys as possible. Pupils will be tracking their progress each day on the fun and interactive classroom wallchart.
Individual activity diaries, daily stickers and end of week pupil rewards will complement this activity, reinforcing the benefits and keeping children engaged.
Classroom packs contain resources for up to 30 pupils and are available in KS1/P1-3 and KS2/P4-7 variants, featuring differing age-appropriate curriculum-aligned activities.
Inside each pack you'll find:
- Teacher guidance
- One double-sided classroom wallchart/ pledge poster
- Daily stickers for pupils and wallchart
- 30 pupil activity diaries
- 30 end of week pupil rewards
Don’t forget the first 100 schools to sign up will receive their packs for free!
More resources for Schools
Walking, Wheeling and Cycling in South Yorkshire
Walking bubble map
We have created a map where you can search for your school, which will show a 5 minute walking bubble. Then encourage parents, carers and children to park up or hop off buses at the edge of the bubble and walk the last part of their journey.