Bikeability make award finals 

The Bikeability Trust team celebrated making it to the finals of the Third Sector Awards for ‘Best Service Delivery Innovation’ this week. 

They were nominated for the Trust’s Fleet Cycles project, which saw 1,124 cycles provided to schools to ensure their pupils could take part in Bikeability training.  

Helping all children get cycling

The Bikeability Trust identified that one of the barriers for children learning to ride was the lack of access to a well-maintained cycle. Research shows that 37% of children do not own a cycle, and many more have cycles in poor condition and not suitable to ride safely. And The Trust’s own research showed that when projects provided free access to cycles, participation increased. 

The Bikeability Trust wanted to ensure as many children as possible had access to a cycle to complete their cycle training, so they decided to tackle the issue. 

Access for every child

Using funding from Department of Transport, the Trust purchased 1,124 cycles for Bikeability trainers to use as fleet cycles, taking them out to schools and communities for children to learn to ride.   

The cycles were used over 16,000 times between April 2023 and May 2024, giving at least that many children the chance to start their cycling journey, not just learning this life skill but helping to build a cycling culture in schools and communities.   

Celebrating cycling success

Mike Holwill, Development Project Manager, and Amy Glen, Schools & Project Coordination Officer, from The Bikeability Trust, attended the award ceremony in London this week. 

“We’re so proud of all of our industry, who are truly dedicated to ensuring all children have the opportunity to access this valuable life skill. We know not every child has a cycle, but we believe that shouldn’t mean they miss out!” Mike said.

“Providing good quality cycles that are well maintained, supported by our partners at Frog and Squish, means we can make sure every child can participate in Bikeability training.” 

The Bikeability Trust’s ambition is to be able to support more children across the country with more fleet cycles in the future.