Warwickshire News Mine

Children and adults alike have been benefiting from the service over the last ten years, with almost 30,000 people so far enjoying Warwickshire County Council’s cycle training.

And never more so has getting back in the saddle seemed so appealing, with petrol prices soaring and congestion worsening.

The tenth anniversary celebrations got underway today, and this will be followed in June with a host of events over National Bike Week, including cycle training courses in Rugby, Leamington, Stratford and Bedworth.

And there is more good news, as the celebrations around the tenth anniversary have coincided with news that the county council scheme has been provisionally accredited to deliver the National Bikeability Cycle Training Scheme.

This will initially be introduced in North Warwickshire this year, and over the next three throughout the rest of the county.

Cllr Martin Heatley, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for the Environment, said: “It’s amazing that almost 30,000 cyclists have been trained in Warwickshire since the new scheme was introduced in 1998.

“It is important to stress that the success and expansion of the scheme is all down to the commitment and dedication of the cycle training team, whose professionalism and enthusiasm is second to none.”

Cycle training has existed in Warwickshire since the inception of the county council in 1974, but it then progressed from the old Cycle Proficiency Training to what exists today, offering Cycle Skills, Cycle Awareness and adult/workplace cycle training.
There have been some great successes with the cycle training, below are three case studies from Warwick, Long Compton and Nuneaton:

Anil Rafiq (pupil at Woodloes Junior School, Warwick, aged 8) and mum Lisa

Eight-year-old Anil Rafiq jumped at the chance when he was given the opportunity to do a First Skills Cycling Course through his school, Woodloes Junior School in Warwick.

Having been bought a new bike for his birthday last year, both Anil and his mum, Lisa, thought it would be a good way to increase his confidence on two wheels – and stay safe.

All schools in Warwickshire are offered cycle training courses, run by Warwickshire Road Safety trained instructors. The Cycle Skills Course is specifically aimed at pupils aged eight years and over. It lasts about two hours and takes place off-road.

“Year 4 had a letter home about a cycling course to see if we wanted to do it,” says Anil. “I wanted to do it because I wanted to ride my bike safely always.”

“I like cycling because I think it’s cool.”

Asked whether he thought the course was difficult, Anil says: “Well, it wasn’t easy because there were things I didn’t know yet. But now I’ve done the course I feel great – very confident and better.”

Anil says there were lots of things he learned on the course: “Road safety, hand signs, about the bike, safety of us, safety clothing, danger of cars and pedestrians.”

“But the best thing was learning the emergency brake and the hand signs I did.”

Anil doesn’t cycle to school on his own yet because both he and his mum think he is too young, but he does cycle outside school.

“We feel it is very important for Anil to have the skills to ride his bike safety, which is why we’re pleased that Anil took part in the course,” says his mum, Lisa.

Lisa actively encouraged her son to go on the course: She says, “We’re very pleased that the school initiated the cycling course. We want Anil to be safe on his bike at all times.”

And she was very happy with how it went. “Anil really enjoyed the course. We felt that a practical cycling course would be so much better than any book or leaflet.”

“He has always been a confident cyclist, but now he is more aware of how to be safe on the road.”

Mum is obviously happier now Anil has done the training: “I am pleased he has done the course as it has made him aware of the dangers to cyclists and pedestrians.

“We will encourage him to take any other cycling courses in the future to improve his awareness of safety always.”

Marilyn Crichton, aged 55, living in Long Compton

“I was one of those people who desperately wanted to cycle more, but just didn’t have the confidence to get back out there on the road.

In fact, it’s fair to say that in the 40 years since I last climbed onto a bike I felt like stabilisers would have been a good idea.

I spotted on the Warwickshire County Council website that cycle training was available, so I booked myself on to the course and I think it’s fair to say that I really haven’t looked back.

After just two hours with trainer Nigel Perry my confidence was well up and I felt that the stabilisers were ready to come off!! I was happy to be on a bike again and getting out on my own on the road.

At the moment the extent of my cycling involves riding down the village shops on a Saturday morning, but I plan to do a lot more as the weather improves through the summer.

I bought a brand new bike 15 years ago that has been sitting in the garage and I’ve brushed this off.

It’s such fantastic countryside around where I live, and the views from a bike are just wonderful. I’d encourage anyone to give it a go and get back out there.”

Warwickshire St John’s Ambulance - Nuneaton

It’s not just school children or people who cycle for pleasure that can benefit from being more confident on their bikes.

For some people, cycling is absolutely essential to help them do a good job – and in some cases, save the lives of others!

That’s certainly the case for members of the St John’s Ambulance Cycle Response Unit in Warwickshire.

Based in Nuneaton, this expert squad of first aiders attend events all over the county, from marathons to carnivals, providing on-the-spot treatment for people in need of medical help. Quite often, they are first on the scene.

So getting some expert cycle training from Warwickshire Road Safety trained instructors seemed like a logical step for the response unit’s already expert first aiders.
“The idea of a Cycle Response Unit within St John’s Ambulance is to provide quick medical treatment wherever it’s required,” says Eddie Stephenson of the Warwickshire branch.

“At a recent carnival we were informed by radio that a person had collapsed. Two cyclists were dispatched and were able to get to the patient a full ten minutes before an ambulance arrived on the scene.”

Six of the unit’s first aiders, with various levels of cycling experience, enjoyed six hours worth of cycle training, split into three sessions, in and around Nuneaton.

“Some of the chaps were quite at ease cycling around Coventry ring road while others were not comfortable on a quiet country lane,” says Eddie. “We required everyone to ride to a certain standard and this is what the training offered.”

“Our first session was around Attleborough Fields Industrial Estate – away from traffic! We were taught about cycle maintenance and what to check. When the cycle unit started we were using pooled bikes, so each machine needed a thorough check before being taken out.”

“On the road, we were taught the correct positions for left and right turns,” continues Eddie. “In our second and third sessions we took to the roads of Nuneaton, starting off around Edward Street where it’s rather quiet. Toward the end of the sessions we rode around the ring road, dual carriageway, town centre roundabouts… a wide variety of roads.”

So how did the first aiders – who normally do courses in “first aid, more first aid and yet more first aid” - find the cycle training?

“Various riders thought different things,” says Eddie. “It was a challenge to all the riders for different reasons.”

Ben, a 20-year-old student paramedic, was just one of the first aiders to do the course. “I found it easy to grasp having ridden a bike for some years,” says Ben. “But the training gave me the opportunity to hone my cycling skills and learn new knowledge.”

Dave, a first aider in his fifties who in his spare time is “quite happy packing all his gear into panniers and heading to France for a couple of weeks” found the cycle training “challenging – in a good way.”

“It was mostly revision but I did learn that I wasn’t looking round often enough for the modern day traffic flow,” says Dave.

So what else did the first aiders learn? “The more experienced riders were reminded of the dangers of car doors flying open and to give parked cars a wide berth,” says Eddie. “The less experienced were shown gear selection and taught to change gear rather than struggle up hill.”

“The general rules regarding cycling, especially tackling roundabouts, I found particularly useful,” says Ben.

“The best thing about the training was the fact that the instructors follow you and assess ‘on the move’ so to speak – rather than monitor from a set location,” says Dave. “I felt that I’d learnt something and that the time wasn’t wasted. The instructors were top notch.”

The St John’s Ambulance first aiders thought their cycle training was a positive and enjoyable experience – and one that will help them get to the scene even more quickly and safely.

“When I’d finished the training, I felt as though I was now competent to be a St John cycle responder,” says Ben.

“I now feel that everyone has a good foundation to build on,” concludes Eddie.

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