Mums Needed for Cycling Proficiency Campaign

Cycling England · Joined: 17 Jun 2009 Posts: 2

Hi!

I’m Sam and I work for Cycling England, an independent body tasked with getting more people cycling. As part of our work, we run a scheme called Bikeability (www.bikeability.org.uk); the current day cycling proficiency test.

The Isle of Wight is currently lagging behind the rest of the UK in offering Bikeability training to children. Over 1,000 children in the area are eligible to receive Bikeability training, but currently none do.

We are looking for mums from the local area who are interested in raising awareness of the lack of access to the scheme. We want to try and persuade the Isle of Wight Council to make Bikeability available to all local children. If you would like to get involved, please email Dee at: depali.sanghvi@bluerubicon.com

Thanks & best,
Sam

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Armin Tamzarian · Joined: 04 Jun 2009 Posts: 10

Hi Sam, personally I didn't need training to get on my bike when I was a kiddie, other than that provided by mum and dad with plenty of scabs on the knees to prove it. Smile

Just had a look on the website for the cost implications [I've taken the liberty of pasting them as below]:

Q. How much does training cost?

This will vary between local authorities. There is already an extensive range of cycle training in England mainly funded by local authorities. Some do provide child cycle training entirely free, while others operate subsidised schemes — often to enable more children to be trained.

The DfT's new grant of £5million per year to support Cycling England's 'Young People' programme will be invested in getting more children trained to the National Standard than ever before. It will allow those local authorities already adopting this training to increase their numbers of trainers, and others to get started. Special consideration will be given to children in deprived areas, and with the help and advice of the DCFS, certain schools will be able to offer training free. In addition, there are many independent providers willing to train adults as well as children who offer training schemes at competitive rates. A series of lessons to achieve level 2 of the Standard would typically cost £40 - £60.

Q. How much will the Bikeability awards cost?

The award itself costs only a few pounds. In order that the award scheme is sustainable and long-lasting, a small charge must be made to cover the costs of materials and Cycling England recommends that the cost of the badge and certificate should be included in the overall cost of the training itself. In those cases where local authorities make a separate charge to parents, we do not anticipate the cost to be more than £2.50 to £3.00