Inspiring stories from The Bridgwater Way users
From 1st July to 4th August we ran a new challenge for users and we encouraged you to tell us why you 'Ditch the Car' in favour of a sustainable travel mode like walking, cycling or taking the bus.
Every week we awarded a £10 Love2Shop Voucher or 10,000 BetterPoints (the user's choice) to users we feel are making the most positive changes.
The winners were:
Sarah G
Paul W
Hayley M
Colleen P
Here is what the winners so far said in a recent survey about the benefits of ditching the car.
Week 1 Winner
"I now cycle nearly everyday to work. I have really benefited from being a part of this challenge." - Sarah G
Photo thanks to Sarah
Before she joined the challenge Sarah would commute by car 4 days a week. As part of the challenge she has swapped her car trips for more sustainable journeys and active travel. In her survey she indicated that she got more exercise as a result, saved on her travel costs, and felt less stressed.
Week 2 Winner
"I now cycle to work every day. Also it has inspired me to walk and cycle to shops. Plus I walk and cycle more at weekends." - Paul W
Paul's regular travel habits meant that he would travel by car 5 days a week. As part of the challenge he has swapped his car trips and as a result he is more active, gets much more exercise, saved on his travel costs, as well as feels much happier and less stressed.
Week 3 Winner
"I have taken the title of the 'Ditch your Car' to the furthest achievable goal anyone could score. After acting on the random crazy idea of SORNing my car and asking a friend to hide it from me, I now walk everywhere! Although that may sound like I deserve no more than a pat on the back (bear in mind that one of my jobs is a 10 mile round trip)!
At first it was tough, my feet were throbbing and looking generally haggard and both my ankles looked like they belonged to one of the Cabbage Patch Kids! But it did get easier, mentally it was like I had butterflies, rainbows and smiles to share with even the biggest grumble weed. Even got myself my own social circle of regular car commuters, dog walkers, cyclists, horse riders and farmers." - Hayley W
Hayley's comments really made us smile and giggle at BetterPoints HQ. We've all got a story to tell when you up the walking and your feet grumble! Before the challenge Hayley was using her car every day and has loved the benefits of being more active, saving costs of travel and feeling much happier and less stressed too.
Week 4 Winner
“Since the challenge began, I’m cycling way more! I make sure I walk or cycle to the local shops and sometimes even cycle into Bridgwater for small amounts of shopping - the dog goes on longer walks too!” - Colleen
Congratulations to all of our winners and well done for making changes to the way you travel.
Well done to all of you who have ditched the car during the Bridgwater Way Challenge! We hope you continue to do so.