Making walking and cycling more fun - Creative Pavements!

A Sutton artist and the Council have this week launched an innovative way to make walking and cycling more fun for children and parents as the return to school starts.

A trail of stencils in the streets around four schools in the borough mean that children can spot the ‘animal tokens’ as they walk, cycle or use their scooters to get to and from school in the morning and afternoon.

The six animals - a robin; a fox; a badger; a butterfly; a frog; and a squirrel - have been spray-painted on to the pavements around each school.

The Sutton schools involved in the ‘Creative Pavements’ project are:

• Cheam Common Juniors, Worcester Park

• Cheam Park Farm, North Cheam

• Cheam Fields, Cheam

• Manor Park, Sutton

The Creative Pavements project is complementing other measures being introduced by the Council to make walking/cycling safer and easier, improve local air quality and offer an alternative to cars and public transport by helping to make the journey to school fun. Other initiatives this month include making pavements and cycling space wider and safer at nine key locations around Sutton to ensure social distancing.

Local artist, Doug Shaw, said:

“'I've been cutting and spraying stencil art for a few years now. It's hard work but great fun. 

“I love community art - as part of my artistic practice, I've been hiding artworks in my neighbourhood of Carshalton and Wallington each week for the last four years for people to find and keep. 

“I'm pleased to be a part of the Creative Pavements project and I hope people in the borough enjoy trying to find all the animal designs I've made and painted.”

Councillor Marian James, Chair of Sutton Council’s People Committee, said:

"As pupils start to return this week, these Creative Pavements are a great, fun way of encouraging children to think about getting to school on foot, bike or scooter. 

“Walking and cycling to school have many benefits: they help with social distancing, as well as keeping children and their parents or carers safe and active. 

“It has been really good to work in partnership with talented local artists and the schools to create some surprises for children and help make walking and cycling in Sutton more fun.”