Change Your World this summer - Sustrans Annual Campaign needs your support (1 June to 4 July, 2010)

Date: 1 June - 4 July 2010

Location: All regions

Contact: 0117 927 7555

Sustrans fourth annual Change Your World campaign takes place between Tuesday 1 June and Sunday 4 July, giving people across the UK the perfect opportunity to transform their lives.

Currently, around two out of every five local journeys (that is journeys of less than five miles) are done on foot, by bike or by public transport. Sustainable transport charity Sustrans says that it is possible to increase that to three out of five, simply by people across the country choosing to do so and is asking people to visit www.changeyourworld.org.uk from 1 June and pledge to do just that.
But it won’t be possible to increase to four out of five journeys – a target which Sustrans wants the UK to achieve by 2020 – unless local authorities invest more in supporting walking, cycling and public transport.
Those who sign up to the Change Your World campaign will also be able to lobby MPs in England and Assembly Members in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and influence how walking, cycling and public transport services are planned and funded.
Allan Williams, Sustrans’ Policy Advisor, said: ‘Everyone who gets behind Change Your World this year will be showing that, as individuals, we are willing to do our part and travel in healthier and more environmentally-friendly ways where we can. Collectively, that puts us in a strong position to urge MPs and Assembly Members to take action too and make it easier for us to walk, cycle and take public transport more often.’
Last year, more than 8,000 people pledged as part of Sustrans’ Change Your World. Some of the ways people’s world could change by getting involved are:
Less stress; more than 5 million employees in the UK complain of extreme stress in their jobs and 13.5 million days are taken each year in sick leave as a consequence [note 1]. Gentle exercise has been proven to reduce stress levels.
Fitter, not fatter; almost one in four adults in Britain is obese and the rates are rising according to official government figures. Travelling in active ways can help tackle the problem. An average 30 minute cycle burns around 186 calories – equivalent to a Cadbury’s creme egg - whilst a steady 30 minute walk burns 105 calories – equivalent to two fingers of KitKat [note 2].
More ‘me time’; almost thirteen per cent of workers in the UK spend more than 48 hours a week in work [note 3]. Travelling by bus or train gives that extra bit of free time to snooze, read, knit, play chess or simply daydream.
Friendlier; Chatting to fellow travellers and catching up with friends on the phone is a great way to while away a bus or train journey.
Make your Change Your World pledge at www.changeyourworld.org.uk from Tuesday 1 June.
Further information about Sustrans, including other news releases and detailed online route mapping, is available through our website: www.sustrans.org.uk
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For further information please contact the Press Office
Telephone: 0117 927 7555; Fax: 0117 930 4149; E-mail: press@sustrans.org.uk
Press and PR Manager – Gill Harrison 0117 915 0108
Senior Press Officer – Wendy Johnson 0117 915 0128
Press Officer – Anna Simms 0117 915 0109
Connect2 Press Officer – Emma Page 0117 915 0123
School Travel Press Officer – Carly Rudrum 0117 915 0127
Out of office hours – 07802 986728
Photo Librarians – Jonathan Bewley & Chandra Prasad 0117 915 0120 photos@sustrans.org.uk
ISDN line available for radio interviews

NOTES
1. Sustrans’ Active travel and mental well-being, 2007
2. Source www.eatwell.gov.uk
3. TUC analyses of National Statistics, 2008.
4. Sustrans is the UK’s leading sustainable transport charity. Its vision is a world in which people choose to travel in ways that benefit their health and the environment. It is achieving this through innovative but practical solutions to the UK’s transport challenges.
5. This year Sustrans is marking the fifteenth anniversary of the National Cycle Network. On 9 September 1995, an award from the Millennium Commission enabled Sustrans to embark on the first 2,500 miles of a 6,500 mile National Cycle Network. The Network now extends to just over 12,000 miles and carries one million walking and cycling journeys every day.