Capital of Cycling We’ve been a bit quiet on the updates to the website front recently but that doesn’t mean we’ve not been busy! We also apologise that our Rawson Road venue hasn’t been running bike kitchens lately, we’ve had some staffing changes so it’s on hiatus as we have a re-think and recruit new staff. Lessons are still going on there and lots more things will be programmed for the spring.
Below are just a small selection of the things we’ve been doing around the district. Part of our funding comes from the National Lottery under a programme called ‘Reaching Communities’ and by eck, that’s what we’ve been doing!
Recently we’ve installed a Shipping Container at West Bowling Advice Centre and we have supplied a fleet of bikes of various sizes, for children and adults, all abilities. We ran a successful ‘have a go’ session with Ludmilla (centre) before the New Year and look forward to working with them to programme lots more activities. Also in the area we’ve been working at Parkside, using Bowling Park for adult cycling lessons, working with Julia and Aurangzeb at Trident.
We’ve been working in Keighley quite a lot recently and are in talks with Keighley Youth Focus and Bradford’s Active Travel Social Prescribing team about the various activities we can support there, especially work in Devonshire Park – we support with training, ideas development, sourcing bikes and applying for funding for community led cycling activities. We’ve recently been successful in a bid for 10k of funding under the Climate Grant programme to develop an offer in Keighley.
We’re also running adult learn to ride and other more advanced lessons at the Airedale Shopping Centre (we’ve been given access to the top two floors of car park – pictured – for riding activity). Thanks to the team in the Management Suite there for their support as well as Christine at the Bradford Active Travel Social Prescribing Team for enabling this. It’s got good views!
Outside Keighley, we’re also working with the Sandale Trust up in Buttershaw on their climate and active travel offer, developing youth projects and more. What a great project.
Ongoing support for Bradford Moor PASS in BD3 including advice, liaison and staff and volunteer maintenance training continues. We’ve recently provided funds to this amazing community group so that they can also get a shipping container to store bikes and tools.
Shipley Active Travel Hub is going well. We employ the manager of this project and recently launched their project website where you can get a range of active travel related info and activities in the area. Via that project and with help from Margaret Carey Foundation in Shipley we’ve been able to support Windhill Community Centre to get activities going and Liz, our cycling instructor has helped them to get a fleet of balance bikes for tots!
We’re still running our clothing project – we’ve loads of cycle kit – new and used that people have donated if you have a project that could benefit from it, get in touch. Below is Ilkley Car Free Day where we off-loaded some of it on a stall… All transported from Bradford by E-Cargo Bike! Yes it was knackering.
This is not an exhaustive list of what we’ve been up to and sorry we’ve been too busy to update our website and social media very much. We have a plan though – with new staff recruitment coming soon – one job will have social media and website updates as part of the role alongside liaising in community settings.
We should probably also mention our mechanic Darren has been working with Bolton Woods Community Centre, we’ve been chatting about getting a Bradford Bulls Community Cycle Club going with the team up there… We could go on but need to get on with doing it instead!