BIG INTERVIEW
“Right now, in the cost of living crisis, there are children, there are areas of the country where that’s going to be a barrier to cycling. It’s the most climate-friendly and cost-effective way to travel around, but it’s still going to be a barrier.”
The other thing is infrastructure, and while this will
take large sums of money, it is what’s needed for parents and children to feel confident to cycle everywhere. “But whilst we wait for that,” Cherry said, “and it is not going to be everywhere, the safe infrastructure, it’s even more important to do the first two. “Bikeability-trained children are more likely to cycle, their parents are more likely to allow them to cycle, and they are better at hazard perception and road safety. That’s why it’s vital, we must make sure the funding is there for every child to learn to cycle.”
Inclusivity projects Bikeability puts diversity at the heart of what it does, with its projects highlighted in the charity’s entry for Diversity Champion at this year’s BikeBiz Awards. These included training deaf instructors to teach deaf children, instructor training for people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds, using BMX to encourage girls and children from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds to enjoy cycling, funding training and providing adapted cycles for children with SEND (special educational needs
22 | October 2022
and disabilities), helping girls and women learn cycle maintenance skills, and using Bikeability to help asylum seekers and refugees settle into their new communities. In Pride month, Bikeability collaborated with PRiDE
OUT to showcase inspiring cyclists, shed light on the LGBTQIA+ cycling experience and tell stories from communities whose voices are not always heard. Instructors also have free coaching to support their understanding of disability, neurodiversity and to deliver training to those with specific needs. Cherry told BikeBiz: “We’ve actually invested further money and, let’s be honest, this takes more money and more resource, and we need to do more targeted work. We invested about £1.6 million in 44 projects, doing things like working with children who are in Asian communities, and providing role models and cycling instructors from the Asian community to be those mentors and to work with them. “It’s work with teen girls, so I haven’t been down to it yet, but I’m really looking forward to going down to Gravesend to see an 18-week programme they’ve done with teen girls on body image and self-esteem and self-confidence, and the right cycling gear to wear and all those types of things. We’ve got to invest it in more of those areas. We’ve also got to invest in cycles themselves for children in deprivation, which is what we’ve been doing. There’s also children with special educational needs and disabilities, that’s been a real focus of ours, inclusion.
www.bikebiz.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
