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National and regional press releases in reverse order with the most recent first The Antony Lord Foundation in association with Road Safety & Cycle Training Released 04 October 2007
We have just received confirmation from Jon Snow, the recently
appointed new President of
the CTC and Channel 4 News Anchorman, whom Jo met in April at the
CTC Annual Dinner, that he is happy to be named as a Patron of the
Antony Lord Foundation.
How often Jon would be able to make it down here is another matter and given his professional responsibilities, it certainly won't be something that happens regularly but we are grateful to him for his support and permission to use his name.
Released 05 September 2007 (Cornish Guardian) ~ 06 September 2007 (West Briton) BIKEABILITY SAFETY SCHEME GETS GOING
Cornish
children were urged to get on their bikes with the county-wide
launch of a new national standard for cycling training in Newquay.
Dubbed 'Cycling Proficiency for the 21st Century' the Bikeability
scheme was unveiled in the town with calls for it to become part of
the school curriculum. 'If it saves just one life, it will be successful' Supporters of the new Bikeability scheme hope it will better equip youngsters for the dangers which lie in store on the county's busy roads. Joanne Parkington, whose teenage son Antony Lord died in a cycling accident said that if just one life can be saved, then the scheme could be considered a success. Following Antony's death, Joanne set up a foundation to campaign for compulsory training and feels that helmets should become compulsory. She said "Kids don't generally like wearing helmets either because they don't have them or because they think they are not cool. We get them at cost from Raleigh who sponsor us and given them away free at our events to try and encourage more people to wear them." Despite calls for the wearing of protective headgear to be made compulsory, Cycling England's Chairman, Phillip Darnton thinks that the legislation would be unworkable. "It's almost impossible to enforce this type of legislation in the same way that enforcing the law regarding the use of mobiles whilst driving is nigh on impossible," he said. "Cycle safety is a lot more than just wearing a helmet and the problem is often more to do with what people do in their cars." Anyone interested in running a scheme should visit www.bikeability.org.uk ~ ENDS ~
TAKING THE CYCLE ... Children across the Newquay area are being urged to get on their bikes as part of a new scheme. Cycling England launched a new Bikeability initiative to encourage children to get back in the saddle as a special event held at Newquay Sports Centre last Friday, 31st August. Newquay Mayor Cllr. Patrick Lambshead was also present and had the opportunity to show off some of his dubious cycling skills. He said "I was delighted to be on hand to represent Newquay at the launch of this event." He went onto say "The scheme is an improvement on the old cycling proficiency award and will help to raise standards of safety." The scheme which has been introduced following research which reveals that there has been a 50% drop in cycling in the space of one generation.
Phillip Darnton, speaking on behalf of Cycling England said "We are committed to our vision of national standard cycle training being available for every child with a bike. Bikeability is working to spread the message of cycle safety." ~ ENDS ~
Released FRIDAY 31st AUGUST 2007 KEEPING CORNWALL’S CHILDREN CYCLING SAFELY BIKEABILITY GOES LIVE IN CORNWALL
A revolution in cycling training is about to take place in Cornwall thanks to a new scheme aimed at getting children back on their bikes. Lady Mary Holborow JP, the Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall together with Lord Eddie George of St. Tudy GBE PC DL have been involved launching Bikeability in Cornwall earlier today, a project aimed at taking the cycling proficiency test into the 21st century. The plan is to provide all Year 5 and 6 children in Cornwall the opportunity to do cycle training by 2009. Cycling England is working with local and national organisations to support the aim of Bikeability to provide children in Cornwall with the on-road skills they need to handle modern traffic conditions. Recent research carried out by Cycling England shows a 50% decline in cycling in the space of just one generation. Over half (51%) of mums questioned say they did their Cycling Proficiency or cycled regularly to school as a child, now only a quarter (25%) of today’s children have received formal training, and 91% never cycle to school.* The main reasons cited by parents are fears around safety – although statistics show children are less likely to be involved in an accident while cycling than they were 10 years ago.* Bikeability in Cornwall will be led by Wendy Creed of Road Cycle and Safety Training. She was the first instructor in the county to have her training scheme accredited to Bikeability standards and as Steve Garidis of Cycling England explains, she also helped with a trial: ‘RSCT were heavily involved in the 6 month ‘gearing up’ process to prepare for the national launch of Bikeability. It was important for us to have an idea of how the needs of an independent instructor would differ to those of an established organisation. RSCT was selected to be involved because of Wendy Creed’s obvious commitment to quality cycle training and her work with the Antony Lord Foundation and we would welcome more instructors like her becoming part of the Bikeability award scheme.” Wendy Creed, Principal Instructor for RSCT says the accreditation is an honour for her, and for the children of Cornwall: ‘I was amazed when the request to gear up came but was only too happy to be involved. The children that I have worked with during that period were all excited about being part of the trial and the parents whom I’ve worked with, are all very enthusiastic about the whole process as well, especially now there are three different levels so that all age groups can participate, it is no long just for those about to go to senior school!’ ‘My youngest clients were aged 5 and my eldest a wonderful lady who is 60 years young and within 2 hours, despite having never even sat on a bicycle before, had gained her Level 1 certificate. Another, a 53 year young grandmother who within two hours, cycled from Wadebridge to Padstow and back. At the other end of the scale a 7 year old whose stabilisers I took off at the first session, suddenly found the courage to put her feet onto the pedals and now there is no stopping her. More recently I discovered another young lady in her teens who may well to on to become the youngest Assistant Instructor to qualify when she turns 16, who is a natural and has achieved all 3 levels with ease.’ Amongst those supporting Bikeability is Channel 4 News presenter, Jon Snow who is President of CTC – the UK’s national cyclists organisation: ‘I am hugely enthusiastic about cycling, there’s hardly a day goes by when I don’t ride. I therefore want to play a part in making cycling safer and more accessible and getting more young people riding safely.’ The scheme has also won the backing of Richard Fish, Director of Planning, Transportation and Estates at Cornwall County Council: ‘Bikeability is a positive step forward for cycle training, with the launch in Cornwall bringing good news for cyclists. Bikeability will operate separately to, but compliment, Cornwall County Council’s voluntary cycle training scheme, Cyclewise. It is an exciting time for cycle training in Cornwall.’ Also the CTC’s new 3 tier off road scheme is to be launched at the same event and Cornwall MTB, (Mountain Bike Training) will be headed up by Steve Rowsell who is the CTC’s first MTB instructor in Cornwall to qualify as well as being a Bikeability instructor himself and has just been invited by the Forestry Commission to work with them next year on events in Cardingham Woods. Kevin Mayne, Director of the CTC had this to add: “CTC is committed to ‘Our Vision’ of National Standard Cycle Training being available for every child with a bike and an extensive programme for adults as well, additionally off road training to accompany it. Bikeabilty is now established as the popular and attractive branding for the standards and believe it is really working to spread the reach towards our vision. We welcome the Cornwall launch as further opportunity to spread the reach still further and we look forward to continuing our support for RSCT. “ The days' events (between 8am and 1.30pm) consisted of .... 10am: - Radio interviews with BBC Radio Cornwall on site on the James Churchfield show - Welcome from Phillip Darnton and Lady Mary Holborrow JP, Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall - Introduction to Bikeability (On Road Cycling), by Philip Darnton, Chairman of Cycling England.
- Explaining the new Off Road
training scheme and how the two systems compliment each other by Rob
Fuller,
- On road skills training demonstration on the Tretherras tennis
courts to which Lady Mary Holborow and Lord George - ITV West Country News cameras then filmed and all things being equal, it should be shown we believe, Monday 3rd September 2007
on the local news bulletins *The Cycling England research was provided by Populus, who interviewed 519 mothers, all of whom had children between the ages of 7 and 15, over the internet between Thursday 22 and Tuesday 27 February 2007. All respondents lived in England. Populus is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules. *According to the Transport Statistics Great Britain, 2006 edition, 48 children were killed while cycling in 1995. This figures had decreased to 20 by 2005. The DfT’s Cycling Personal Travel Fact Sheet shows that in 2005 the average resident makes 14 cycle trips per year, and travels a distance of 36 miles. However, among those who cycle regularly, it is the key mode of transport, accounting for a fifth of all trips.
Released : 29.08.07
Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall Lady Mary Holborow will be on hand to formally introduce the project which aims to provide all year five and six children with bike training by 2009. Joanne Parkington, who set up the Anthony Lord foundation after her son was killed following a collision between a car and his bike, welcomed the event. She said: "I am campaigning to make safety training compulsory for all children under 14 and this will help towards that aim. If we can save just one life then that would make it all worthwhile. One of the biggest problems we have is with kids not wearing helmets either because they don't have them or think they are not cool." A demonstration of Bikeability will take place at Tretherras School and children will be given the opportunity to try out the crazy bikes. Among the supporters of the scheme is Channel 4 news presenter Jon Snow who is president of the UK's national cyclists organisation, the CTC. Mr Snow said: "I am hugely enthusiastic about cycling and there's hardly a day goes by when I don't ride. I therefore want to play a part in making cycling safer and more accessible and getting more young people riding safely." ~ ENDS ~
Released 24th May 2007 Road Safety & Cycle Training, it’s Mountain Bike Division and the Antony Lord Foundation wholeheartedly welcome the 21st Century version of what most parents will remember as Cycling Proficiency and will be hosting the Cornish launch of both Bikeability and the new CTC Mountain Bike Training Scheme, in the presence of the Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall later in the year. It is hoped that funding for all schools in the county will also be confirmed to be as in place for the new academic year by the Cycling England Chairman, Phillip Darnton - the launch will also have a Fun Cycling Challenge element to it for the children who are already involved in the demonstration and we will also have a Dr Bike facility available too. Joanne Lord of the Antony Lord Foundation said: "Given how both the nature of both roads and cars have changed, Bikeability is so much more appropriate., cycling is so much fun and I’m just sorry that I left it so late to get onto a bike myself, so that I could be part of our annual Memorial Ride on or around the anniversary of Antony’s death, doing something that he not only love so much but died doing because of a lack of training having been available in the past years." The training is especially important given that recent research from Cycling England shows a 50% decline in cycling in the space of just one generation. Whilst over half (51%) of mums questioned say they did their Cycling Proficiency or cycled regularly to school as a child, now only a quarter (25%) of today’s children have received formal cycle training, and 91% never cycle to school. The main reasons cited by parents are fears around safety, although statistics show children are less likely to be involved in an accident while cycling than they were 10 years ago. Steve Garidis of Cycling England said: "RSCT who are based in Cornwall were heavily involved in the 6 month ‘gearing up’ process to prepare for the national launch of Bikeability. It was important for us to have an idea of how the needs of an independent instructor would differ to those of an established organisation. RSCT was selected to be involved because of Wendy Creed’s obvious commitment to quality cycle training and her work with the Antony Lord Foundation and we would welcome more instructors like her becoming part of the Bikeability award scheme." Wendy Creed, Principal Instructor for RSCT said: "I was amazed when the request to gear up came but was only too happy to be involved. The children that I have worked with during that period were all excited about being part of the new process too and the parents whom I’ve worked with, are all very enthusiastic about the whole process especially now there are three different levels so that all age groups can participate, it is no long just for those about to go to senior school! The nice thing about Bikeability is there are no age limits., my youngest clients were aged 5 and my eldest a wonderful lady who is 60 years young and within 2 hours, despite having never even sat on a bicycle before, had gained her Level 1 certificate." Steven Rowsell, CTC accredited MTB Instructor said: "Having geared up with Hertfordshire County Council myself, is primarily the reason Wendy and I are going into a working partnership. It is important that children know how to both read and ride the roads safely so that they can get to the many trails available around Cornwall. I look forward to working with them in both disciplines, in the not too distant future. Meanwhile as a result of her work with the foundation, Wendy was recently presented with the CTC Volunteer of the Year [2006] Award for the SW Region in Guildford by Jon Snow, who is the newly appointed CTC President and we hope in the future, to work with another instructor from London bringing Inner City children down on holiday too, which has come about as a result of that particular award ceremony." Cornwall was one of the areas which took part in the pilot where more than 10,000 badges were awarded in six months and over 80% of training organisers and instructors said they saw an increase in the number of children cycling to school after participating in Bikeability. Three in five (60%) parents whose children undertook the Bikeability training say they are now more positive about their children cycling on the roads. More information about Bikeability can be found online at www.bikeability.org.uk . Also information about RSCT is available at www.rsct.org.uk , it's MTB Division at www.CornwallMTB.co.uk and the Antony Lord Foundation at www.antonylordfoundation.org.uk - Ends -
Bikeability GRANT INFO AND HOW THE Funding will workCycling England working with Road Safety and Cycle Training to bring funding for Bikeability into Cornwall
Although some schools are fortunate enough to have Local Authority Volunteer Instructors available, it is only open to children in Y6 . Unfortunately, even then there are still areas where the Local Authority scheme has limited reach. (Bikeability has 3 levels and is open to all ages) This funding and Bikeability training opens it up to all children – currently run in Newquay it works running Level 1 training over 4 or 5 sessions depending on the season with Year 3 and Year 4 pupils in the playground, building their bike control skills so they are prepared for on road training and capable of being able to look behind and signal etc. as will be required of them in real terms out on the road.Level 2 is basic on road training, through the school is restricted to Years 5 and 6 which is the age group that Cycling England are aiming to reach, (although it doesn’t stop parents of those who have completed Level 1, commissioning an instructor to run a course independently of the school). Parents then pick up the baton for Level 3. Once the information has been collated as to how many schools are interested in the scheme, the information will then be fed back to Steve Garidis at Cycling England and it is they, who is seeking to roll out its pilot project with the Youth Sport Trust (who manage the partnership network) so that Partnership Development Managers are given grants to distribute in their School Sports Partnerships. They in turn, will be free to commission freelance trainers themselves or work with the local authority or both. We are hoping to get this in place for the new academic year 2007-2008 and to be able to announce it as such at the launch (which also includes the CTC’s new off road 3 tier training scheme too), later in the summer. Representatives from all the schools who are interested in becoming involved, are invited to attend but please advise the name[s] and school represented to the address below or email w.creed@rsct.org.uk as this is an ‘invitation only’ event with a registration deadline of Monday, 25th June 2007 latest. The launch will be in partnership with Philip Darnton, Chair of Cycling England, Rob Fuller, CTC Cycle Development Manger and a representative of the Cycle Training Standards Board and Lady Holborow, Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall amongst others. The DfES have confirmed that it is acceptable for cycle training to take place during PE lessons, this can be found in the FAQs for LEAs, Schools (Govenors and Teachers) and SSPs on the Bikeability website, http://www.bikeability.org.uk/downloads/FAQs LEAs Schools.pdf in the 'Q & As' section which follows on from 'Core Message'.- Ends -
Released FRIDAY 4
MAY 2007 BIKEABILITY GOES LIVE IN THE SOUTH WEST Exeter welcomes introduction of 21st Century cycling proficiency
The biggest change in cycling training for decades is launched in Exeter today as part of a national roll out to get children back on their bikes. Ben Bradshaw, MP for Exeter and Minister for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, announced the start of the Bikeability scheme at St Nicholas Catholic Primary School in Exeter. Cycling England is working with Devon County Council to deliver Bikeability to provide children in the South West with the on-road skills they need to handle modern traffic conditions. By giving children the skills they need to manage 21st century roads it is hoped that 20% of all children in Exeter will be cycling to school by 2009. The training is especially important given that recent research from Cycling England shows a 50% decline in cycling in the space of just one generation. Whilst over half (51%) of mums questioned say they did their Cycling Proficiency or cycled regularly to school as a child, now only a quarter (25%) of today’s children have received formal cycle training, and 91% never cycle to school. The main reasons cited by parents are fears around safety - although statistics show children are less likely to be involved in an accident while cycling than they were 10 years ago. Ben Bradshaw MP said: "As a keen cyclist myself, I am delighted to welcome the arrival of Bikeability to Exeter. As well as enabling children and young people to cycle safely on our roads, Bikeability will also tackle a number of problems that I face as Environment Minister – in particular climate change and poor air quality. Car use and congestion contribute substantially to our greenhouse gas emissions, and we currently have one of the lowest cycling levels in Europe. Bikeability will help to address this - creating more confident cyclists but also healthier, greener, transport options. I’m confident that we will see big increases in the number of people rediscovering the joys of travelling on two wheels as a result." The scheme has also been welcomed by a national panel of mums, brought together by Cycling England to make sure the training gives parents the reassurance they need to allow children to take to the roads. Exeter Bikeability Mum’s panel member, Gillian Hawkins said: "All three of my boys love their two wheels but like all parents I worry about their safety. This is why I thoroughly welcome the launch of Bikeability here in Exeter. I cycle my son to school every morning but now that he has completed his Bikeability training, I feel confident that he could cycle without me." Councillor Margaret Rogers, Devon County Council Executive Member for Environment, said: "We want to create a cycling culture in Exeter and across the county because it's a great way for people of all ages to stay healthy and help make Devon an even greener county. This cycle training will give the children some new skills which will make a huge difference to their riding and benefit them for years to come." Phillip Darnton, Chairman of Cycling England, said: "We recognise that safety on the roads is every parent’s concern but the first step in creating safer cycling must be to ensure every child gets the proper training – that’s Bikeability. Cycling has a unique role to play in making a difference to individuals and to society – improving public health and reducing childhood obesity, as well as tackling road congestion at a local level with the knock-on effect on helping to tackle climate change. Cycling England’s ambition is that, within five years, no child should leave primary school without the chance to receive Bikeability training." Bikeability has already proven to be a hit with children who undertook the training as part of the gearing-up phase last September. Exeter was one of the eight cities which took part in the pilot where more than 10,000 badges were awarded in six months and over 80% of training organisers and instructors said they saw an increase in the number of children cycling to school after participating in Bikeability. Three in five (60%) parents whose children undertook the Bikeability training say they are now more positive about their children cycling on the roads. Exeter is also one of the six towns in England sharing nearly £17 million to promote cycling. Cycling England made Exeter a ‘Cycling Demonstration Town’ in October 2005 and as a result the town is now leading the way in encouraging local people to use their pedal power. The aim of the CDTs is to demonstrate how European levels of funding can lead to a signi?cant increase in cycling levels with all the associated bene?ts. As a result, more than 16km of new routes have been created in Exeter, helping to contribute to a 14% increase in cycling trips in 2006. Major improvements have already been made to the infrastructure in Exeter - focusing on the five newly built secondary schools in the city. Four of these schools now have excellent off-road routes linking in with the rest of the network. These routes also link to a huge project running along the Exe estuary creating the Exe Estuary Trails (National Cycle Network Route 2) linking Exeter to Dawlish and Exmouth and 80,000 Devon residents to the city. The Exeter launch forms part of a regional roll out to 10 cities nationwide. More information about Bikeability can be found online at www.bikeability.org.uk - Ends -
CTC – the UK’s national cyclists’ organisation Released 2nd May 2007 Local cyclist is Southwest’s Volunteer of the Year
The work of thousands of local volunteers that helped to promote
cycling in 2006 has this week been recognised by CTC – the UK’s
national cyclists’ organisation, and Truro cyclist Wendy Creed has
been named South West England Volunteer of the Year. Wendy has also actively
supported CTC's campaigning positions on issues such as cycle
helmets and cycle paths in the face of considerable local
opposition. By promoting the benefits of training cyclists to deal
with their environment, she has gained a considerable public profile
for cycling. ~ Ends ~
The biggest change in cycling training for decades is announced today by Transport Minister Tom Harris MP. The Bikeability scheme will be rolled out nationally to help get the nation’s children back on their bikes. The new training standard is designed to provide children with the on-road skills they need to handle modern traffic conditions. The launch comes as new research from Cycling England shows [1] a 50% decline in cycling in the space of just one generation, [2] that over half (51%) of mums questioned say they did their Cycling Proficiency or cycled regularly to school as a child. [3] Now, only a quarter (25%) of today’s children have received formal cycle training, [4] and 91% never cycle to school [5] that parents’ fears around safety are behind the declining numbers of children being trained. In fact, statistics show children are less likely to be involved in an accident while cycling than they were 10 years ago. And ahead of the launch at a Leicester school, Tom Harris said that the new on-road training elements would reassure parents that their children will be equipped to manage today’s roads. Tom Harris said: "Bikeability is a great way to get our children cycling safely from an early age. We want our children to be safer, more confident cyclists and to encourage healthier, greener transport options. The pilots for Bikeability have been a runaway success and I am confident that the national roll out will see big increases in the number of people rediscovering the joys of travelling on two wheels." Last year the DfT doubled Cycling England’s funding to £10 million a year to promote cycling via initiatives such as Bikeability, which has already proven to be a hit with children who undertook the training as part of the gearing-up phase last September. More than 10,000 badges were awarded in six months and over 80% of training organisers and instructors said they saw an increase in the number of children cycling to school after participating in Bikeability. Three in five (60%) parents whose children undertook the Bikeability training say they are now more positive about their children cycling on the roads. Claire Halsey, clinical psychologist and parenting expert, who authored the Cycling England report, also backed the launch of the scheme: "Aside from providing children with more confidence, Bikeability will help unlock the considerable health and fitness advantages of cycling, as well as providing families with the chance for some much-needed time together." Phillip Darnton, Chairman of Cycling England, added: "We recognise that safety on the roads is every parent’s concern but the first step in creating safer cycling must be to ensure every child gets the proper training – that’s Bikeability". "Cycling has a unique role to play in making a difference to individuals and to society – improving public health and reducing childhood obesity, as well as tackling road congestion at a local level with the knock-on effect on helping to tackle climate change. Cycling England’s ambition is that, within five years, no child should leave primary school without the chance to receive Bikeability training." Any schools who are interested in setting up Bikeability training can get more information online at www.bikeability.org.uk . Cycling England will be rolling out Bikeability with official launches in a further nine cities between 25 March and 6 July. ~ Ends ~
Released: 14 February 2007 City honours citizens who have made their mark Three people who have made a mark on their community have been honoured in an awards ceremony. Truro City Council has presented two businessmen, Nigel Pariss and Robert Mallet and charity worker Clarice Mortimer-Fowler with honorary awards in the first ceremony of it's kind since 1979. Ten other citizens were also thanked for their achievements were presented with the latest book by Christine Parnell, "The book of Truro., Cornwall's City and it's people" and were Wendy Creed, organiser and instructor for Bikeability cycle training, is organising a sponsored ride for next year in aid of the RNLI's 'Train One, Save Many' campaign. Mary Davey for 14 years service to Cornwall Centre for Volunteers and voluntary organisations across Truro, Pat Eslick for her tireless efforts raising funds for the Royal Airforces Association Wings Appeal. Mary Hart, chairman of the Royal British Legion's Womens Section and organiser of the Poppy Appeal since 1986., Lt. Cmdr A D Heggie is involved with the Normandy Veterans Association, Lawrence Holmes, Chairman of the Royal Observer Corps Association, Fred Luff, Branch Treasurer of the Royal British Legion. Philip Robinson as Branch Standard Bearer and two years ago he represented the RBL at the Albert Hall. Dennis Smith, Treasurer and Secretary of the City of Truro Band and Jean Smith, Treasurer of the Active Blind Leisure Club without whom, there was a danger the club would have to close. ~ Ends ~
Released: 05 October 2006 SIBLINGS SIGN UP FOR CYCLE TRAINING FOLLOWING ACCIDENT Four siblings from Falmouth are to receive expert cycle training after one of them narrowly escaped serious injury last week. Fourteen-year old Sancha Matthews was on her way home last Tuesday evening when she was in collision with a car near McDonalds in Dracaena Avenue. Fortunately she suffered only a minor injury to her knee and was release after being checked over at the hospital. "She was very lucky," said her mum, Margaret, who lives at Trevarth Road. "She only twisted her knee, it could have been a lot worse." Sancha's accident was bought to the attention of Wendy Creed, principal instructor of Road Safety and Cycle Training, which runs Bikeability courses, the modern day Cycling Proficiency, by a cyclist friend who witnessed the accident. Wendy is also involved with the Antony Lord Foundation, set up by Antony's mother, Joanne, following the death of her 13-year-old son in February 2005. Antony of St Columb Major, sustained serious head injuries after his BMX bike collided with a car near the Halloon roundabout. By coincidence, Joanne, a trained First Aider and her husband, Nigel, were first on the scene as they drove home along the A39. In the absence of the emergency services, Joanne stopped to help and found herself administering mouth-to-mouth resuscitation at the roadside.
Upon hearing of the accident in
Falmouth, Wendy offered her services free of charge to Sancha, her
two younger brothers, James aged 12 and 10-year-old Adam and her
younger sister, 8-year-old Kerry. Mrs Matthews is grateful for Wendy's offer of proper training for her children. "Kids are not taught to ride their bikes properly any more," she said. "I think this training is going to do them all some good." "Sancha loves her bike. She rides it to school sometimes, goes out to Budock Church and has just done a sponsored bike ride. She has not had any formal training though." Anyone wanting to learn more about Bikeability courses should call Wendy on 01872 240939 or check out the website at www.bikeability.org.uk ~ End ~
RELEASED Thursday 7 September 2006 KIDS GET READY TO PROVE THEIR BIKEABILITY Cycle training for the 21st century launched today ‘Bikeability’ – the new cycling proficiency for the 21st century - is launched today, marking a complete makeover of cycle training for today’s children. Many adults will remember doing their Cycling Proficiency Test. Bikeability is designed to give the next generation the skills and confidence to ride their bikes on today’s roads. Bikeability will initially be trialled with 3000 children across England in order to ‘gear up’ for a national rollout of the scheme from Spring 2007 when thousands of children will have the chance to get the new Bikeability award. The aim is that by 2009 half of all year six pupils in England will be trained through schemes awarding Bikeability. To get their Bikeability award, children and adults will be instructed on how to ride their bikes to the Government-approved National Standard for Cycle Training, which sets out the training and skills essential for making cycling trips in today’s road conditions. Children will be encouraged and inspired to achieve all three levels, recognising that there is always more to learn and to enjoy on a bike. The Bikeability award will consist of a luminous metal badge, booklet, certificate and a letter to parents. All Bikeability materials have been thoroughly researched and designed to appeal to the needs of parents, teachers and training instructors as well as children. Bikeability will be unveiled by Derek Twigg, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, at an official launch in Merseyside today. Phillip Darnton, Chairman of Cycling England, the independent, expert body administering Bikeability, said "This is a really important announcement for cycling, the culmination of five years work by Cycling England and our partners. Bikeability will give children the necessary skills and knowledge needed to cycle safely throughout the rest of their life. But Bikeability is more than just teaching children to ride a bike. It’s also about introducing them to cycling as an everyday activity – an alternative mode of transport, an enjoyable pastime, which brings a healthier lifestyle and is ultimately lots of fun. Bikeability will give children a life skill that once they’ve learnt, they will never forget. The great joy of cycling is like no other healthy activity or sport it begins and ends at your own front door. Our long-term vision is that in five years, no child in England should leave primary school without having the opportunity to achieve their Bikeability." Steve Whitehouse of the Local Authority Road Safety Officers Association (LARSOA) said: "Bikeability is an excellent way of promoting safe cycling to children and adults, and builds on the work of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) and local authorities over several decades to establish cycling proficiency. Parents will now be able to feel reassured that when their children cycle to school they have the necessary skills to make the journey safely." A new Bikeability website – www.bikeability.org.uk – has also been launched to update on news about the initial six month trial and national roll out in 2007 .~ Ends ~
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