Blackburn with Darwen Council has seen a huge response to free cycle training offered as part of a wider active travel project to get residents walking and cycling more across the borough.
Working in partnership with GoVelo, government funding has allowed free cycling training to be offered in our borough, and the response has been fantastic with dozens of residents taking advantage.
GoVelo trainer Emma said:
“The training has been a fantastic success. So many residents have learned how to cycle or improved their confidence and ability with the help of this adult cycle training. Many going from not being able to ride at all now riding with confidence. Some of these individuals have also come back to take part in the guided rides which shows how welcome these training sessions have been in the community.
“The family cycle training initiative is supporting those children who are educated at home. Another success with both children and parents cycling together, learning new skills and enjoying their time together as a family.
“We also worked with the Abu Hanifah Foundation to help children obtain their cycling badge for Scouts and Beavers. Children learned about cycle safety in a fun interactive session which helped them to understand the importance of having the right clothing, making sure helmets fit correctly, how to check a bike before usage and also how to inflate a tyre.
“We also had a visit from Sport England who came to film a video as part of upcoming national campaign.
“We are really blessed to have an amazing training area at Corporation Park. The park supporters’ group and grounds keepers have been very supportive. They have welcomed any new cycle activities and have had such a positive approach to us being there. It’s been really refreshing. The community in and around the area have also been so welcoming and willing to ‘give it a go’ especially the women in the area. It’s a pleasure to be there and be able to offer our support to such an amazing, proactive community.”
Blackburn with Darwen’s Assistant Executive Member for Growth and Development, and Council lead for Climate Emergency, Councillor Zainab Rawat said:
“This is wonderful news, and further evidence of how much desire there is in the community for alternatives to travelling by car within our borough. This training will enable residents to choose to cycle from A to B, and being more active is proven to help you maintain a healthy weight, boost your immune system which can help protect families from illness, including coronavirus, which in turn help protect our NHS. By enabling our residents of all ages to switch to greener modes of transport we are helping to support our Climate Emergency goals to reduce the carbon footprint for our borough.”