Chronicle scoops Active Travel Month challenge as 800 participants log ‘astounding’ 88,000km in one month 

The Gibraltar Chronicle was the overall winner of the first Active Travel Month challenge which took place over the past month.  

This newspaper’s team also won the company category, clocking 919km on foot or two wheels in one month. 

Over 800 people took part in the challenge, which aimed to get people out of cars and walk, run and cycle instead, and collectively travelled an astounding 88,000 kilometres.  

Organisers pointed out that this was the equivalent of over twice the circumference of the world, and nearly a quarter of the distance to the moon. 

Francis Martinez was the overall winner in the individual category.  

The Sports Category was won by CROC, while the Government Department category was won by the GHA.  

NGOs and community club winner was Gibraltar Bromptonians.  

With 38 teams and 48 individual participants from law firms, Government departments, healthcare, education, and more, over 18,000kg of carbon emissions was saved. 

The Active Travel Month challenge was organised by OTWO Magazine, the Sustainable Transport Action Group (STAG) and the Gibraltar Netball Association.  

It aimed to highlight both the health benefits of walking and cycling, and the impact it can have on quality of life by promoting cleaner cities. 

OTWO's Vanessa Byrne highlighted the incredible support the campaign has received in its pilot year and importance of supporting local charities such as the Gibraltar Cardiac Association and the Gibraltar Diabetes Association.

“We have two homes, our world and our body, and an active lifestyle supports both," she said.

The event continued with words of encouragement from Minister for the Environment Dr. John Cortes, who praised the impact of the campaign in raising awareness and
promoting sustainable lifestyles.

He thanked the organising team for its efforts and reaffirmed his commitment to improving Gibraltar’s infrastructure to make active travel more accessible in the future.

The Chronicle has long championed active travel, both in print and in practice. 

Its team included reporter Eyleen Gomez, photographer Johnny Bugeja, sports reporter Stephen Ignacio and editor Brian Reyes. 

“This was a fantastic initiative that sent a clear message: The simplest, most effective step we can all take toward healthier lives and a cleaner city is to leave our cars at home whenever we can,” Mr Reyes said.