School worker completes his Paris cycle challenge for Ashgrove School 28/06/2012
Posted by melaniedavies in Asda, Cardiff, Events, Wales.Tags: Ashgrove School
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MADE IT! Ashgrove School worker Ian Liddiatt has completed his Penarth to Paris cycle.
ASHGROVE School worker Ian Liddiatt has completed his epic Penarth to Paris cycle to raise money for specialist bikes and equipment for the school.
The Learning Support Assistant left the school gates on Tuesday, May 22 at 9.30am – and arrived at the Eiffel Tower, 300 miles later, early on the Wednesday evening.
A group of students from the school, on an educational trip to the French capital, were waiting at the Eiffel Tower on his arrival.
Speaking shortly before he left, Ian said: “It’s all for the pupils here. I want to do them proud.”
Triathlete Ian, who has worked at the specialist school which caters for children and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder since February 2009, was accompanied on the ride by friend and training partner Huw Evans.
Huw’s mother Gill waved them off.
“Huw did this to support his good friend and a fantastic cause,” she said.
“The pair of them have done some mammoth events before, but I think this will was the pinnacle of their physical achievements. I’m very proud of them both.”
The aim of the ride was to raise £2,000 for the newly established school bike club, and specifically for specially adapted trikes which will give students the opportunity to take part in adventurous outdoor activities and learn road safety skills, no matter what their ability.
Sue Williams set up the bike club and following a special assembly to send Ian on his way, she organised for students to try and replicate his journey on two exercise bikes in the school hall.
“We worked out that he would spend around 14 hours spent on the bike, and burn some 15,000 calories with his 72,000 pedal revolutions!” she said.
“This was a project that the students got to work on, with Ian, from start to finish – as they helped him plan his route using google maps and could track his progress via a GPS system linked to the school computers.
“He also wore a helmet camera for some of the journey so the pupils could share the excitement with him upon his arrival at the Eiffel Tower.
“He did brilliantly, especially considering the immense heat for part of the journey, a delayed ferry and Paris rush hour,” she added.
“The children can’t quite believe he actually cycled the whole way!”
Donations to reach the £2,000 are still being accepted.
To support Ian and the school bike club log on to http://www.justgiving.com/ashgrovepenarthtoparis or contact the school.
Deans Community High School Pupils meet Nigel Mansell 15/06/2012
Posted by Amy Hickman in Asda, Events, Scotland.1 comment so far
Pupils at Deans Community Highs School met former Formula1 racing car driver on 14th June. But this time he was on two wheels instead of four. Nigel cycled through Livingston as part of a 1300 mile charity cycle ride from John O’Groats to Paris over 12 days, raising funds for Youth Charity UK Youth, who are one of the founding partners of Bike Club.
On his arrival at the school Nigel was greeted by pupils, parents and staff all keen to find out how his cycle through Scotland over the last 3 days had been. Amasingly his time north of the border was spent mostly cycling in the sunshine.
Nigel was directed to the playing fields where Deans Bike Club leaders were running a taster session for their after school Bike Club. Deans Community High School was awarded Bike Club funding last year to purchase mountain bikes to run an after school club. The overall aim of the project was to increase their confidence to cycle and provide an alternative activity to encourage pupils to be more physically active. As part of the event pupils had the opportunity to try out the schools bikes on an obstacle course and got a taste of what is offered as part of the after school club. Obviously Nigel and his cycling entourage had to have a go too.
After getting lots of pictures taken and signing autographs Nigel and his team retreated to their support vehicle to refuel, warm up and get back on the road to their final destination for the day in Biggar. Everyone from Deans CHS wishes Nigel and his supporters the best of luck and safe journey to Paris.
Deans Community High School Bike Club normally takes place on a Thursday evening from 6pm-8.30pm. On Wednesday 27th June as part of the schools activity day the Bike Club will offer a trip down to Glentress for a limited number of pupils. A bus and trailer will be leaving the school at 9am sharp. If you are interested and would like further information about Deans CHS Bike Club contact Andy on 07787904139.
ScoreScotland Bike Club 13/06/2012
Posted by Amy Hickman in Asda, Edinburgh, Events.add a comment
Score Scotland recently launched their South West Bike Club project in Edinburgh along the Union Cana l. Over 3 days they offered children and young people in the area a chance to try out their new mountain bikes and take part in cycling activities including: a bike obstacle course, led rides along the canal, mountain biking at Hailes Quarry Park and Dr Bike courtesy of Evans Cycles. Local Community Police Officers also joined in on the bike rides and helped with the activities.
Score Scotland are working in partnership with Bridge 8 Canoe Club and Set in Motion to deliver this Bike Club project. Bridge 8 have donated use of one of their shipping containers to use as storage for the bikes and Set in Motion staff will assist in delivering the sessions and help with maintenance of bikes and equipment. Set in Motion is also delivering some maintenance training for staff and volunteers so they can maintain their new fleet of bikes.
Becky Leach from Score Scotland believes ‘Encouraging children and young people to cycle through this project will increase their knowledge of accessible cycling routs, increase their mobility and access to other parts of the city and ensure they are more confident at using a bike for leisure and transport purposes.’
Scottish Schools Cycle Speedway League 03/04/2012
Posted by Amy Hickman in Asda, Edinburgh, Events, Fife, Scotland.add a comment
Liberton High school, Inverkeithing High School and Dunfermline’s Queen Anne High School have been participating in the first ever Scottish Schools Cycle Speedway League.
About Cycle Speedway
Cycle Speedway is similar to track cycling in a velodrome other than the track is shorter and has less of a camber. The riders compete four at a time and each race is just four laps of the track. The specially designed bikes have no gears and no brakes! It is easy to learn the basic skills of Cycle Speedway and a lot of fun right from the start.
The inter-schools cycling league was conceived following an invitation by Gavin Kennedy, coach of the Edinburgh Falcons Cycle Speedway Club, to members of Liberton High School’s after school Bike Club to a ‘Come and Try It’ session at the club’s Redbraes Park circuit. Liberton Bike Club ran a number of cyclo-cross races in their own school grounds inviting other Edinburgh schools to join them – but it became obvious that moving a group of pupils and their bikes around the City was far from easy and few accepted the challenge. The idea of just turning up with a group of pupils equipped with no more than their bike helmets to a fixed venue where specialist bikes were provided seemed like a great idea!
The league was based indoors at the Jack Kane center and bikes were provided by Edinburgh Falcons. This was a small, but fast circuit – much more challenging than the outdoor track at Redbraes Park which some had visited last Autumn. Each participating school attended their own training session with coaches from Edinburgh Falcons where they had the opportunity to learn some basic skills and practice racing against each other before the league started.
Liberton Bike Club team
The opening round of races brought thrills, spills, skill and determination in equal measure. There were 26 riders taking part serving up a feast of racing for the spectators including representatives from Bike Club, Scottish Cycling, Sustrans I Bike, and City of Edinburgh Council Active Schools. After 3 weeks of battling it out Dunfermline’s Queen Anne High School were crowned Indoor champions. Well done to all involved
It will soon be time to take the riders and their new found skills outdoors to Redbraes Park, Scotland’s only surviving shale Cycle Speedway track, for a Summer term of inter-school races. It is hoped that similar competitions can now be developed elsewhere in Scotland.
Cycling Out in East Lothian 03/04/2012
Posted by Amy Hickman in Asda, Events, Scotland.add a comment
On Saturday 31st March Beyond Boundaries East Lothian (BBEL)launched their inclusive cycling project ‘Cycling Out’ at Pinkie St Peter’s Primary School, Pinkie Road, Musselburgh. ‘Cycling Out’ aims to provide and develop opportunities for people with disabilities and mental health issues living in East Lothian to participate in regular cycling activities. BBEL now has a small stock of used cycles which they have inherited, borrowed or had donated and have also received funding from Cycling Scotland to run this project.
For this event BBEL linked up with Fife based cycling charity Talking Tandems who provide tandem cycling for people who are blind or with visual impairments. As part of the event I joined 2 tandems from Talking Tandems on the north side of the Forth Road Bridge to cycle down to Musselburgh. We were joined at Crammond Brig in Edinburgh by 2 cyclists from Musselburgh Road Cycling Club and on arrival into Musselburgh we were met by another group including a tandem, mountain bikers, and some adapted cycles. We were all escorted by a police man on bike through the town.
On reaching the school we were welcomed by young people and their families taking part in a variety of activities which included:
- Quest 88 with their 2012 Roadshow showcasing a variety of adapted bikes for everyone to try out.
- Freewheel North (Glasgow based Bike Club) also brought along some of their adapted bikes to try out
- Dr Bike from the Bike Station in Edinburgh were on hand will be on hand to have a look at bikes and make small repairs and adjustments.
- Edinburgh Bicycle Cooperative had their cycle smoothie maker - making smoothies using pedal power.
- Luca Ice Cream was there the glorious sunshine with their Ice Cream Trike.
Fabb Scotland were also on hand to discuss plans to set up inclusive cycling in East Lothian for young people and consult with parents. Earlier this year Janet from Talking Tandems carried out an audit across Edinburgh and Lothians to assess what Inclusive cycling opportunities are currently available in the area. This information will be used by Fabb, BBEL, Bike Club and East Lothian Disability Sport to look at establishing an Inclusive Cycling Hub for young people in the Lothian area. Watch this space for further developments.
Stenhouse Primary Schools Big Bike Day 19/03/2012
Posted by Amy Hickman in Asda, Edinburgh, Events, Scotland.1 comment so far
Stenhouse Primary are continuing their efforts to get more pupils cycling to school. As part of the schools involvement in Bike Club and Sustrans I Bike project they organised a Big Bike Day on Thursday 15th March. The day included a variety of cycle themed activities including free bike fixing sessions with Dr Bike (provided by Grease Monkeys), unicycle riding workshops, classroom bike-art activities where each class made bike bunting and some mini bike racing at break time.
59 Pupils from P1-P7 cycled into school on the day. This has really helped with their ranking in the Big Pedal where the school are currently in 6th place in Scotland. Dr Bike and his helper were kept extremely busy with 30 bikes having a bike check and where appropriate repaired. Everyone that brought their bike got a 15% discount on their next service at Grease Monkeys.
The highlight of the day was Jason and Ian from Voodoo Uni cycling stunt display team (the only display team in the UK). They carried out workshops throughout the day with P5-7’s teaching the basics of getting on, sitting upright and trying to move with the help of a fence or a wall (much harder than it looks!). Miss Baillie who runs the after school Bike Club gave it a go too!
At the end of the day Jason and Ian gave a demonstration, performing skills and tricks, in front the whole school. This included Ian jumping down some stairs and Jason jumping over a row of pupils and a teacher.
Keep up the good work Stenhouse!
Belles on Bikes Edinburgh – Looking for Female Volunteers 24/02/2012
Posted by Amy Hickman in Asda, Edinburgh, Events, Girls.1 comment so far
Bike Club is launching a series of leadership courses for women in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Providing female cyclists with the training required to encourage and support more women into cycling, the Belles on Bike course is perfect for anyone looking to learn something new and pass on their passion for cycling.
On Thursday 8th March, Bike Club is hosting an information event in Edinburgh at Inch Park Community Sports Club at 6.30pm. If you are interested in registering for the Edinburgh Belles on Bikes Leadership Programme or simply want to find out a bit more please come along – there will be cake! To register your interest in the course and the information event please email amy.hickman@bikeclub.org.uk .
If you went down to the woods that day….. 14/02/2012
Posted by Ross Adams in Chester, Events, Ross, Team.add a comment
You were in for a big surprise……as two of CTC ‘s projects, Cycle Xtra and Bike Club joined forces with Forestry Commission, to deliver a Family Cycling Event during October half term at Delamere Forest in the heart of Cheshire.
We were blessed with fantastic autumn weather for the first of the joint venture projects between the two respected organisations, after the signing of the partnership agreement back in August. CTC staff had planned a series of cycling activities aimed at family and novice cyclists, in line with the aims and objectives of our new partnership agreement. Delamere is a fantastic forest, being relatively flat and having excellent transport links, including it’s own train station, it’s ideal for beginner cyclists, family rides and more advanced riders too. Planned activities for the day included led rides by qualified CTC instructors, a treasure hunt, puncture repair workshop, doctor bike sessions and for the more adventurous a North Shore style course to really test those skills.
Through extensive promotion and advertising, the day attracted over 120 participants, including one family covering three generations. Many participants where local to the area and surrounding parts of Cheshire. However as we had also advertised through the local camping and caravan sites , we were happy to welcome participants on their holidays from as far and wide as Cambridge and Ireland.
After registering as participants, riders could either have a go at the North Shore, where they received both encouragement and advice from the instructors from Get Out There Mtb, or they could collect a map and venture off on the self led treasure hunt around Blakemere Moss, a prize awaited every rider to find all of the bike related clues, however as we were feeling generous on the day, all those who took part went home with a prize!
Proving extremely popular was our led rides, running one in the morning, followed by another in the afternoon, everyone attending got to take part. A planned, 3 mile route had been marked out previously by CTC staff, including some of Delamere’s permanent cycle routes but adding a few detours on the way, to give riders a further taste of what the forest has to offer.
After a long but rewarding day everyone went home happy and smiling after a thoroughly enjoyable day. The day proved to be a huge success, bringing people togther on bikes enjoying their surroundings, getting some exercise and learning some new skills. What more could you want?
Here at CTC and indeed our friends and partners at Forestry Commission, we know the benefits and enjoyment you can get from cycling and particularly riding in a beautiful traffic free environment such as Delamere Forest. For more information on cycling in general or about riding at your local Forestry Commission site visit http://www.ctc.org.uk or http://www.forestry.gov.uk/ Happy Riding.
CTC travels to Lisbon 06/01/2012
Posted by Amy Hickman in Edinburgh, Events.add a comment
Back in November, I joined 7 other participants from the UK on a week long trip to Lisbon, Portugal.This was part of a Youth in Action exchange project for young people led by Lisbon based environmental organisation 5elemento with the CTC acting as the UK partner orgnaisation
The aim of the trip was for 8 UK participants to team up with 8 Portuguese participants and take part in a week long project taking part in a variety of activities centred around the idea of bicycle recycling and to explore cycling in Lisbon. It was also an opportunity for 5elemento to develop a bicycle repair project within the Èstrela de Africa community in de Maiohis – a slum neighbourhood in the centre of Lisbon
The week was varied and made up of a series of site visits, workshops and social activities that covered experiences of cycling in Portugal, Lisbon and in the UK. Participants shared their own experiences from the cycling projects they are involved with plus a seminar with a cycling expert from Lisbon. During the week we visited a school in de Maihois, met with some of those working in the Èstrela de Africa community, visited the community centre the project would be based in and had a go at fixing some of the bikes (However this was mostly left to those participants who had a background in bike mechanics).
Once the bikes were back in working order we were able to go on a tour of Lisbon by bicycle. We had a few mechanicals along the way, and finished off the day by taking part in a Critical Mass Ride in the city centre. The week ended in all participants taking part in Bike Polo – some people made it look remarkably easy but I guarantee it is not something you can pick up quickly.
The trip was quite an eye opener for me and in reflection has made me realise how far we have come in the UK to make cycling more mainstream. Those working for 5elemento were inspired by our experiences of getting people on bikes in the UK and have taken this on board to develop their own projects and hopefully get more people in Lisbon cycling.
HRH Princess Anne with Bike Club members in Wales 23/11/2011
Posted by melaniedavies in Asda, Cardiff, Education, Events, Uncategorized, Wales.1 comment so far
Bike Clubs leaders and members were invited to celebrate the achievements of Young people in Wales by Youth Cymru and Uk Youth. Pembroke Primary School, Chepstow and Morriston Comprehensive School, Swansea were asked to showcase the excellent activities in their Bike Clubs, they demonstrated these through colour displays produced by the young people and presented to HRH Princess Anne at Llandaff Cathedral, Cardiff.
Pembroke Primary School
both Bike Club members showed real enthusiasm and a sense of pride when discussing they Bike Club with HRH and other guests.
Morriston Comprehensive School
A big thank you to both Bike Club for their hard work, and also thank you to Bike Club leaders and young people from other areas who attend the service to celebrate the achievement of young people in Wales.
Melanie Davies Bike Club Development officer for Wales said ‘Bike Club Wales currently has 21 clubs funded by ASDA Pedal Power, covering a diverse cross-section of community groups and schools, providing many bespoke cycling opportunities. this is currently in the South Wales area, we hope to provide the same opportunities for groups in other areas of Wales in the future.
Bike Clubs would like to thank Youth Cymru and UK Youth who put on an excellent event and provided us this great opportunity to showcase the work of Bike Clubs in Wales, such a great day.
