Warwickshire News Mine

Children at Alderman Smith, George Eliot and Manor Park are getting out on their bikes with some expert tuition.

This has been made possible thanks to Department of Health funding for the project, with the support of Warwickshire County Council School Travel Advisors.

The aim of the project and funding is to give groups of children living in some of the most disadvantaged areas free cycle training, social bike rides and access to cycle road shows and assemblies.

Pupils from the three Nuneaton schools will have the chance to participate in courses up to Level 3; these courses will provide children with the necessary skills to cycle safely in today’s traffic conditions.

Cllr Martin Heatley, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for the Environment, said: “For many children being able to ride a bicycle is essential as it enables them to get out meet their friends, go shopping or get to school and physically it increases their activity levels and improves their health.

“The projects will also help local schools with their travel plans which aim to get more children out of cars and choosing more sustainable modes of travel that increase activity levels, reduce pollution and congestion at the school gates.”

Karen Hall, Warwickshire County Council School Travel Advisor added: “Early evaluation of the course has shown how important this training is as it allows the children involved to make appropriate judgements that keep them safe on the road. Not only did the pupils get valuable cycle training they were also introduced to their local cycle map.

“The first sessions delivered at George Eliot last week went really well, the pupils involved really enjoyed the sessions and are looking forward to testing out some interesting bikes at the road show at Alderman Smith School tomorrow.”

Year 7 pupil Jordan Marshall said: “I really enjoyed the training and the bike ride which took us on the local cycle network, I would do it again and definitely recommend it to friends.”

Mike Holdsworth, a Cycle Trainer for the county council, said: “None of the nine pupils involved in our first course at George Eliot had done any cycle training when at primary school, so it was really important they gained the necessary road sense needed to use a bike on the roads.”

The pupils took part in an eight-mile circular bike ride that took them along the Wembrook Trail, a route provided by the county council’s Safer Routes team, and the Sustrans National Cycle route 52.

Karen Hall who led the pupils on the ride said: “It was encouraging to see the pupils enjoying being out locally on their bikes, but it was surprising to find some pupils had never travelled that distance before on their bike.”

This summer marks the tenth anniversary of cycle training in Warwickshire, with almost 30,000 being trained by the county council over the decade.

And while the cycle training remains extremely popular with children, it is also proving increasingly attractive to adults wanting to get back in the saddle.

Improving health, beating the rush hour queues and cheap travel with no petrol or parking costs, are just some of the reasons people are turning back to bike power.

However, with many people spending many years in their cars, while their bike gathers dust in the garage or shed, their confidence may need some building before heading back out on the road.

For more information on cycle training in Warwickshire visit http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/cycletraining, or for more general information about road safety visit http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/roadsafety

Link to WCC