Secondary Schools Pitch Active Travel Ideas at ATA Campaign Junction
On Wednesday 23 April, Modeshift hosted an Active Travel Ambassador (ATA) Campaign Junction event at Hampshire County Council's Winchester offices, bringing together secondary school pupils and staff to showcase innovative ideas to encourage active and sustainable travel.
The event, run in a Dragon’s Den–style format, saw pupils from Wildern School, Toynbee School and Alderwood School pitch their proposed behaviour change campaigns to a panel of industry experts. Each school competed for funding to help bring their ideas to life, with £200 available for each campaign and a bonus £50 award for the strongest overall pitch.
Campaign ideas from Hampshire schools
Wildern School presented a proposal centred around a “loyalty card” initiative to reward active and sustainable journeys. Pupils would receive a daily sticker for travelling actively, building up a weekly record on their card. Tutor groups would compete for certificates and prizes based on the number of active journeys logged, helping to embed active travel into everyday school life.
Toynbee School focused its campaign on encouraging cycling among pupils in Years 7–9. Plans include raising awareness of the benefits of cycling through route maps showing distance and journey times, eye-catching posters and displays, and practical support such as an after‑school cycling skills club and free bike maintenance workshops. The campaign will also promote Park and Stride options, with active journeys tracked using a Travel Passport. Pupils can earn rewards including active travel breakfasts, discounted lunches and entry into a prize draw for completing all 30 passport boxes.
Alderwood School outlined plans to further promote its two existing Park and Stride sites, targeting pupils, parents and staff. Promotion will include banners on school railings and information in newsletters, alongside incentives such as house points, skipping the lunch queue and raffle tickets for a prize draw with voucher rewards.
Pupil confidence and shared learning
The event offered pupils the chance to develop presentation skills, build confidence and learn from each other’s approaches. Feedback on the day highlighted the value of sharing ideas between schools:
“The event was a great opportunity to hear about the ideas of the other schools and how they are running their campaigns and spending their funding. It helps us with our own idea formation.” Wildern staff member
“I learnt more about the importance of active travel.” Toynbee pupil
“I enjoyed the experience of sharing our campaign with other schools.” Toynbee pupil
“Seeing how other schools approach active travel gives us ideas.” Wildern pupil
“The best bit was seeing how they all came together, overcame nerves and showed their confidence at presenting. The passion for the work they are doing – it’s lovely to see the initiatives gain momentum.” Toynbee staff member
Award decision
All three schools successfully secured the £200 funding offered to support their campaigns. Following careful deliberation by the judging panel, Toynbee School was selected to receive the additional £50 bonus award for their campaign proposal.
Empowering young people to lead change
The Active Travel Ambassador programme empowers secondary school pupils with the skills, confidence and support to tackle travel issues in their school communities. By placing young people at the heart of decision‑making, the programme helps inspire lasting behaviour change and encourages more active and sustainable journeys.
Congratulations to all the participating schools for their enthusiasm, creativity and excellent presentations, and best of luck as the campaigns are implemented across their communities.
For more information about the Active Travel Ambassador scheme, visit:
👉 The Active Travel Ambassador (ATA) Programme | Modeshift
If your school would like to find out more about getting involved, please contact:
📧 travelplans@hants.gov.uk