It’s Snow Problem at Crossroads 10/02/2012
Posted by Patrick Carr in Uncategorized.2 comments
Big, big thanks go to the hardy few young carers who braved sub-zero temperatures in pursuit of cycling confidence last weekend.
Gateshead Crossroads Young Carers had selected a small group of young people who had not yet been able to access their Bike Cub project for the session on Saturday. The young people have different caring responsibilities at home which have limited their opportunities to learn to ride a bike. In addition, some of them have reported low self confidence as another barrier to them taking up riding.
What better opportunity for me to tandem my way up there with Activity Worker Christine Archer, to share some activities and skills games designed to boost the abilities and confidence of new cyclists.
Breaking down the elements that go into riding a bike; steering, balance, pedalling and braking; makes it easier for young people to progress quickly. Some basic bike checks a quick game of musical bikes (getting on and off to music) warmed us up nicely. Then it was out to brave the cold- the mercury creeping just high enough to keep the playground ice-free.
Outside we kept busy, never standing still long enough to feel the cold. By the time a welcome lunch was ready we were able to progress onto some of the practical skills needed to make a local journey.
The afternoon’s highlights included a fantastic game of “Guess The Animal” where a backwards glance from a rider reveals a leader doing a convincing animal impersonation. Thanks must go in particular to John, a young carer who led the game. His animal impressions for fellow cyclists had us all laughing, especially the pursuing horse and scary gorilla!
Eventually the encroaching snow chased us all inside, where the young people managed to fix a puncture by themselves, despite never having done so before. Again great leadership was shown by John.
All in all a fantastic session at an ambitious bike club which gives young carers opportunities too easy to miss when looking out for a parent, sibling, or relative. The confidence and enthusiasm of the young people visibly increased as the session went on. The experience of trying something new and succeeding was a great boost for them.
“I can’t ride a bike.” protested one young person at the start of the session.
“No,” I corrected gently. “You can’t ride a bike… yet.”
Belles On Bikes information event! Thursday 1st March 2012 06/02/2012
Posted by Victoria Leiper in Edinburgh, Girls, Glasgow, Scotland, Uncategorized.add a comment
Bike Club is launching a series of leadership courses for women in Glasgow and Edinburgh. 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 1st March, Bike Club is hosting an information event in Glasgow for anyone interesting in registering for the first Glasgow based Belles on Bikes Leadership Programme. To register your interest in the course and the information event please email victoria.leiper@bikeclub.org.uk for a registration form. More detials are below. For Edinburgh based Belles, a similar event will follow – date TBC.
Common Wheel get Training 30/01/2012
Posted by Victoria Leiper in Asda, Glasgow, Uncategorized.add a comment
Common Wheel, a charity which provides meaningful activity for people with mental illness , is due to launch their brand new programme of training for young people in April 2012. Work to redesign and refurbish their main workshop in Maryhill is underway and will allow the already efficient and productive workshop to run more bike building and maintenance courses, including their new Bike Club venture.
Young people will be refered to Common Wheel via the NHS ESTEEM service which operates across Glasgow to provide a dedicated service for people aged 16 + who are experiencing a first episode of psychosis. The team offers advice, support, treatment and various interventions.
While the workshop is getting a make over, staff and volunteers, including several long term clients who will act as peer mentors for the young people, have been working on achieving Weldtech bike maintenance accreditation. Funding from Bike Club supported long term clients achieve this qualification. The opportunity to gain a recognised bike maintenance qualification has created a real sense of achievement and has ignited a desire to work towards other training opportunities in the near future, serving an “additional purpose” and delight at “being asked to take part”.
Using the training, the volunteers have identified the key training components which make up each accreditation level in the youth bike building and training programme and has also set a framework for future clients who may wish to seek accreditation. Common Wheel commented that “this will be particularly important for the under 25s as it will contribute to the sense of hope and confidence which is so needed for recovery from mental health illness.”
Below: the workshop as it was….a haven for bike lovers!
Help! Challenge ride ideas welcome. 10/01/2012
Posted by Patrick Carr in Uncategorized.3 comments
Recently I’ve been plotting with the fantastic Crossroads Young Carers about their summer charity fundraiser. Jill, who manages the project is a keen walker, and is planning on walking the Hadrian’s Wall Path with a small group of young carers, over 6 days.
Keen to support them and their flourishing Bike Club, I thought I could add some spice to the occasion by riding it too, an bit like a tortoise and hare race, with me and perhaps a foolish friend or two, (Gav?) starting from Bowness on Solway on day 6, just as the walkers are leaving Heddon-on-the-Wall, a mere 15 miles from the finish at Wallsend. That’s a nice round 100 miles if you follow the National Cycle Network’s route 72, the Hadrian’s Cycleway
However, I’ve uncovered a small problem with the plan. Apparently some marathon runners who are friends of the project are also considering running the whole 84 miles in a day. WOW! 3 and half marathons in a single day! That would make my efforts on a bike look rather puny. So the only solution is to ramp it up. And that’s where I need your help. If you have any suggestions to make my ride that bit more epic and noteworthy (without killing me…) then pop them in the comments below.
Folding bikes perhaps- I crossed England on mine last summer…
Or perhaps do as my brother did when we rode the route as part of a tour one time, and attempt to ride his singlespeed along the World Heritige Site itself?
Ideas please!
Skerne Park School’s Club Launches 19/12/2011
Posted by andrewbikeclub in Darlington, Uncategorized.add a comment
On a chilly Wednesday afternoon (14/12/11) I went along to Skerne Park Primary School’s Bike Club Launch, for a fun session of cycle games which got everyone warmed up quickly!
The group of 12 pupils got to take part in a number of games inspired by the National Standards ‘Bikeablity’ training, led by Assistant head Phil Raine. The group got underway with a few rounds of the ‘Slow Race’, where the winner is the last person to cross the finish line without taking their feet off the pedals. Once the rules were explained Mr Raine even got in on the act and was quite impressive.
Next up was a tricky skills test in the form of the ‘Shrinking Circle’ game. All 12 of the gang had to ride round a marked out circle, which gradually gets smaller (hence the name!) the winner is the last person who doesn’t put their feet on the ground, or goes out of the circle of course.
To finish off everyone enjoyed a game of ‘Beehives’, with pupils taking on the guises of bicycling bees, trying to be the first to reach a different coloured ‘hive’ before anyone else. The last person to get to the ‘hive’ finds themself minus a life. The winner was the last person still with one of their two lives. Along with newly gained bike handling skills, everyone had much fun and hilarity, in spite of the pre-Christmas chill.
Skerne Park are planning a series of bike game sessions and led rides around the town for their Year 5 and 6 pupils in 2012. the club have nearly got everything in place with 8 new road hybrid bikes bought and Mr Raine all set to do his Trail leader training.
Watch this space for further developments…
Bike Club Start-up Clinic. 06/12/2011
Posted by Patrick Carr in Uncategorized.add a comment
Places are still available at tomorrow’s Bike Club Start-up clinic in Newcastle. It’s a brilliant building, as you can see, and a fantastic opportunity to turn your great ideas into reality:
- Do you work in Newcastle/Gateshead with young people aged between 10-20?
- Would you like support to deliver high-quality cycling and related activities?
- Come to the clinic and we’ll help you apply for a Bike Club Grant of up to £2000.
- Mountain Bike Trail Leader/Ride Manager qualifications available.
- Free Youth Achivement Award registration, training place and 20 award books.
- Bike Clubs are flexible and can be developed to meet a range of needs.
Please contact local Bike Club Development Officer Patrick Carr on patrick.carr@bikeclub.org.uk or 01914879356 to reserve your place or find out more about Bike Club support.
Tees Valley Bike Club Launch 30/11/2011
Posted by andrewbikeclub in Uncategorized.add a comment
The start of November saw the first ride and launch of the Tees Valley YMCA Bike Club, with a scenic and throughly enjoyable ride from their base in Darlington to the office in Stockton. 10 young people came out for the challenge, all getting to use the clubs brand new bikes. Everyone successfully covered the 11 mile route, with a few testing their mountain bikes skills along the way on some of the more “off road” sections! The ride was led by Darrel Slater who got the club up and running, and with more rides planned like this one I’m sure the club will be a big hit!
Hummersknott Gang support Children In Need Epic Cycle 30/11/2011
Posted by andrewbikeclub in Uncategorized.add a comment
Hummersknott Bike Club came out to Barnard Castle to welcome the BBC’s Matt Baker during his Rickshaw Cycle challenge, from Edinburgh to London. In an act of empathy with Matt, as the Hummersknott gang are embarking on their own epic cycling adventure for charity next summer, covering Lands end to John O’ Groats, a total of 875 miles, a little bit more than Matt so Im sure they gave him some tips as he had a well earned rest!
Ally Park Go Mountain Bike Club! 25/11/2011
Posted by Victoria Leiper in Asda, Glasgow, Uncategorized.add a comment
Young people from Haghill Park Primary School and Golfhill Primary School in Glasgow’s east end have come together to form their own Bike Club after the success of the East End Cycle Gala earlier this year. The cycle gala, coordinated by Bike Club, Milnbank Carbon Reduction Project (MCRP) and the Glasgow Bike Station introduced young people to the new mountain bike track built by MCRP earlier in the year. During the event, lots of young people expressed an interest in a regular club designed to increase confidence to ride the track and improve all round mountain bike skills. The Go Mountain Bike proficiency award does just that…offering young people a step by step guide to mountain biking from the very basics right through to planning independent rides on the trails. Local cycle provider Ed’s Cycle Coop is leading a 4 week introductory course due to end in mid December. This will be followed by a maintenance course delivered by the Bike Station. In the new year the club will resume, offering BMX, Bikeablity training and group bike rides in the local area.
The track was officially unveiled in September by Shona Robison MSP, who said: “Today is another example of the ongoing regeneration of Glasgow’s East End. This type of initiative adds real value to the East End which is also seeing both world-class sporting facilities and terrific new community resources as a result of the 2014 Commonwealth Games. We can’t underestimate the valuable role that sport can play in community life and the importance of making sure that people have access to it.
“Climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing us today and by investing in facilities such as this we can help to ensure that people not only have more and better opportunities to participate in sport but that communities are empowered such as in Milnbank through the Climate Challenge Fund to take action to reduce their carbon footprint.”
Led by Milnbank Housing Association, the project was funded by the Climate Challenge Fund with additional support from Glasgow City Council, Cycling Scotland and sponsorship from Safedem and Caledonian Construction Ltd.
Bike Club is assisting the group make good use of this new facility and looks forward to the year ahead…with lots of exciting cycling projects for young people currently in the planning stage, the future is looking ’wheelie good’ (sorry for the bad pun!) in the east end!
Glasgow ladies get cycling with Backbone 25/11/2011
Posted by Victoria Leiper in Asda, Girls, Glasgow, Scotland, Uncategorized.1 comment so far
‘
Backbone Ladies learn to Ride’ is a joint Bike Club project with Backbone and the Forestry Commission Scotland. Almost 3 months into the course, 12 previously non-cyclists are now taking to the saddle on a regular basis with confidence and skill. Thanks to expert tuition from Bike Station Cycle Trainers Anna Cook and Vicki Harris, the girls have gone from complete beginner to tackling hills and trails in and around Glasgow, including Glasgow Green, Pollock Park and Chatelherault Country Park. This week the group is venturing to Balloch on the bonny banks of Loch Lomond. In between their days out, the group have been learning key bike maintenance skills at the Bike Station so they are always prepared while out on long rides. The next stage in their cycle masterclass is developing their own leadership skills – learning how to teach others the valuable cycle skills they have learned over the last 3 months. Through a program developed by Backbone which includes Cycling Scotland’s Ride Leader training, the ladies will take the challenge to set up their own Bike Club for girls and young women in the new year. I met up with them last week on a beautiful winters day in Chatelhault Country Park and enjoyed an afternoon of good cycling and even better company!
The pictures above are courtesy of project partner and joint funder the Forestry Commission Scotland.
