Cycling City Community Fund

Between June 2008 and December 2009 Cycling City funded 17 community projects. Below you'll find details about all the projects funded so far.

LIFE CYCLE UK

Life Cycle UK aims to inspire people and to equip them with the skills, the knowledge and the confidence to make cycling part of their everyday lives. They run practical activities such as cycle training, organise awareness-raising events, provide help with bike maintenance, provide cycle maps and other literature, and organise conferences and seminars.

Silver Cyclists project (awarded £8,748)
Silver Cyclists is a project aimed at older people, aged 55+. It will form neighbourhood based cycling clubs, run by volunteers, whose role will be to lead locally based cycle rides in their neighbourhood.  The project will commence in 2010

Bike Kitchen project (awarded £8,559)
The Bike Kitchen project will provide drop-in bike maintenance sessions, where people in more deprived areas can turn up and make use of Lifecycles tools to maintain their own bikes.  The project will commence in 2010.

Two's Company project (awarded £4,550)
Two's Company aims to open up a whole new world for people who are blind or visually impaired by giving them the opportunity to participate in tandem cycling.  The idea for the project came after discussions with local blind and visually impaired people.  They told us that their lack of sight severely affects their confidence and stops them from participating in all sorts of activities that others take for granted, they also said they had very limited opportunities to take exercise and keep fit.  The tandem rides are led by volunteers.

Young Women in Schools project (awarded £1,862)
The Young Women in Schools project will run a pilot series of workshops with young women in schools aged 11-16 designed to encourage and empower them to take up cycling. The project is specifically target ting young women who know how to cycle, but don't yet do it regularly.  The project will commence in 2010.

Contact: Tim Wye, Director
tel: 0117 3534580
website: www.lifecycleuk.org.uk

ST WERBURGHS COMMUNITY CENTRE BIKE PROJECT

Based in St Werburgh's in central Bristol, the Centre serves the local communities of St Werburgh's, Easton, St Agnes and St Paul's.  It is managed by the St Werburgh's Community Association, which aims to provide meeting spaces and facilities for individuals, community groups and voluntary organisations.

Mobile Bike Mechanic (awarded £2,530)

A very successful and popular bike project has been running from the St Werburgh's Centre for two years offering the local community the chance to get their bicycles checked and repaired under supervision and at low cost.  When the first phase of the project came to an end - demand for its services remained high - so  additional Cycling City funds were secured to extend the project for a further two year period.  This has allowed the purchase of a mobile bike trailer to increase community outreach.  The community funds have also covered the salary of a part-time bike mechanic, allowed the purchase of extra bike tools and enabled the project to promote itself more widely.

Contact: Linda Bell, Centre Director; Matt, Bike Project Coordinator
Tel: 0117 9551351
Website: www.stwerburghs.org.uk

THE CYCLE HUB

Working with charities in Bristol to provide mountain biking rides and skills courses for disadvantaged young people (awarded £5,000)

The Cycle Hub offers a mobile bike repair and maintenance service to cyclists across the city, particularly cycle commuters through weekly spots at Bristol Temple Meads Railway Station, the city centre and at the University of West of England campus.

The Cycle Hub Bike project  delivers mountain bike training courses to disadvantaged young people across the City.  They aim to work in partnership with youth organisations and projects within the 10 Extended Schools localities across Bristol.  Young people will be able to learn the skills of mountain biking to develop their understanding of the sport and to learn safe riding techniques.  Mountain biking sessions will take place at Ashton Court Estate on the Timberland Trail.  Sessions commence in 2010.

Contact: Paul Flook
tel: 07824776923
email: paul@thecyclehub.com
website: www.thecyclehub.com

THE BRISTOL BIKE PROJECT

Bristol Bike Project repairs and relocates unwanted bicycles, with the aim of helping people from all walks of life get out on two whells and for it to be an inclusive and empowering experience in the process.

Through their weekly workshops, they provide 'free' bicycles to members of underprivileged and marginalised groups that would not otherwise have the opportunity to own one. The Project combines a surplus of unwanted bikes (most of which are otherwise destined for landfill), volunteers of all abilities who are able to develop their mechanical skills within a supportive and safe environment and marginalised people within the community in need of affordable and sustainable transportation. They are a welcoming and inclusive community-based project, encouraging skill-sharing, promoting sustainability and helping people help themselves.

Contact: James Lucas or Colin Fay
tel: 07753616534
email: thebristolbikeproject@gmail.com

UPPER HORFIELD COMMUNITY TRUST 

The key aim of the organisation is to create a cohesive and mutually supportive community in the area of Upoper Horfield.  There work includes Out of school casre, Lifelong Learning, Social activities and leading the Local Community Cohesion Action Group.

On Your Bike project (awarded £9,400)
On Your Bike is a club based in Upper Horfield to encourage children, young people and their families to find out about the benefits of cycling.  The club will provide bikes to enable regular group ride activities including bike maintenance sessions and a series of bike related workshops. Two community bike instructors will also be trained. The project will commence in 2010. On Your Bike's website can be found at: www.oyb.moonfruit.com

Contact: Maria Damsell
tel: 0117 9690011
website: www.uhct.co.uk

BAGGATOR

Baggator works in the Easton area of Bristol to engage young people 12-18 years of age who are socially excluded from mainstream society.

Youth Cycling Project (awarded £5,000)
The Youth Cycling Project will target young people living in the Lawrence Hill and Easton areas to enable them to develop their interest in cycling.  Young people will have the opportunity to rebuild donated bicycles to roadworthy condition in a supported environment - which they can then keep.

Contact: Peter Daintree
tel: 0117 955 7733    
website: www.baggator.org

LAWRENCE HILL COMMUNITY BIKE LOAN SCHEME

The current scheme which has been running for several years is located in Lawrence Hill close to the Bristol & Bath Railway Path.  A selection of loan bikes (adults and children's) are offered to local people for hire for a day or sometimes longer.

Bike Loan Scheme (awarded £4,867)
Additional community funds will extend the reach and duration of the Bike Loan Scheme in Lawrence Hill. A new tricycle will be provided to allow people with disabilities to take advantage of the scheme.

Contact: Mandy Cox
tel: 0117 3041425

FRIENDS OF THE EARTH LIBRARIES PROJECT

Friends of the Earth Libraries Project (awarded £2,500)

Friends of the Earth working with the Library service in Bristol to provide more cycling resources in key community libraries in Bristol.  These resources (mainly cycling books) have been purchased and distributed across the library service.

Contact: Pip Sheard

GET GORGE-OUS CYCLE CHALLENGE CYCLISTS TOURING CLUB

The CTC is the UK’s National Cyclists’ Organisation, protecting and promoting the rights of cyclists since 1878.  The CTC provides a wide range of activities and services designed to enhance the riding opportunities of existing cyclists and make it easier for new entrants to take it up. The CTC organises weekly cycle rides for both experienced and new cyclists in Bristol, cycling holidays and breaks for its members and a weekly cycling related social programme in the winter months.

Get Gorge-ous Cycle Challenge (awarded £3,310 in 2009, further award of £1,800 in 2010)
The 'Get Gorge-ous Cycle Challenge' project aims to introduce people who have done very little cycling to do more with supported weekly rides.  The level of cycling increases so that after six months, they will ride from Bristol to Cheddar, up through the gorge and back to Bristol.  Last year 80 people completed the challenge.

Contact: Jane Chapman

DISCOVER BRISTOL RIDES - Bristol Cycling Campaign

Bristol Cycling Campaign is working for a saner transport policy for Bristol.  It aims include a 20mph speed limit in urban areas, a freeze on road building, control on traffic entering the city when pollution levels are high and pushing the Council to spend more of its budget on sustainable transport, especially cycling.

Discover Bristol Rides (awarded £2,480)
A number of supported rides offered by Bristol Cycling Campaign exploring some of the more interesting routes throughout the city and the surrounding countryside. Riders were guided by experienced cyclists from place to place with plenty of stops, returning by mid afternoon. To assist new or unconfident riders a qualified cycling trainer from Life Cycle UK was in attendance. All five Discover Bristol rides took place in 2009 and it is hoped to do the same in 2010.

Contact: Steve Kinsella
website: www.bristolcyclingcampaign.org.uk

LAWRENCE WESTON YOUNG ACTION

An umbrella group of community groups working with young people in Lawrence Weston.  The aim of the group is to improve outcomes for local young people, increase the voice and influence of local young people and to encourage multi-agency cooperation.

Lawrence Weston Young Action (awarded £8,852)
Working in Lawrence Weston to increase and support cycling activities with young people.  Using the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme to engage with young people who wouldn't have been able to engage with the scheme when they were at school.  A cycling Duke of Edinburgh expedition will be offered over several days which will help the young people to learn to be more self sufficient.  This project fits very well wityh the increasing cycling culture in Lawrence Weston including a very active BMX Club and the Barrowmead Project who organise family bike rides.

Contact: Peter de Boer
tel: 07795445612

PLAY & EARLY YEARS TRAINING UNIT PEYTU

The Play & Early Years Training Unit  is a well established and much used resource providing services to the community for free or at a very low cost.  They provide up-to-date information and programmes to support the ongoing training and development of people working with, or wanting to work with, children and young people, including disabled children.

Play & Early Years Training Unit project (awarded £9,604)
PEYTU has teamed up with the A(rt).P(lay).E(nvironment). Project to develop a series of creative residencies to be delivered in out of school clubs in Bristol, designed to encourage participants to take up cycling and to promote its wider benefits for health and the environment.  It will use the A.P.E. Project that revolves around a tandem cycle that has been adapted to become a "power station" which drives a number of exciting and accessible art workshops.  The Trike transports all materials, tools, and machinery needed for a workshop around Bristol.  The trike then re-assembles into a power station which participants have to pedal in pairs.  These workshops include spin painting workshop, dynamo powered shadow puppet workshop, animation and fruit smoothie workshops.

Contact: Amy Halls
tel: 0117 9080601
website: www.peytu.co.uk   

EMMAUS

Emmaus Bristol is a charity for formerly homeless people, part of the worldwide Emmaus Movement and a member of the Emmaus UK Federation. The purpose of Emmaus is to provide a home, work and support for destitute and homeless people in a supportive community. The work of Emmaus involves taking unwanted household items, including bikes, restoring where necessary and selling on to support the community. The objective of every Emmaus community is to become self supporting through its industry.

Accredited cycle training for staff  (awarded £5,000)
Emmaus provides low cost bicycles to the public particularly people on low incomes living in the Dings, St Phillips and Barton Hill but also to people across the whole of Bristol.  The successful grant from Cycling City will enable the organisation to provide an enhanced level of accredited training for their companions (clients who work in their bike workshop area). 

This will enable the companions to be more competent when repairing bicycles (to increase the number of cycles available for sale) and to acquire skills that may be useful in helping people return to full-time work.

Contact: Malcolm Thorne
tel: 0117 9540886
email: workshop@emmausbristol.org.uk
website: www.emmausbristol.org.uk

WINDMILL HILL CITY FARM

Windmill Hill City Farm is an open access site providing services to the local community in Bedminster and South Bristol. The facilities include a day nursery and creche, an Adventure Playground, an ICT learning and education centre, a craft centre, a conference room, a sports facility and cafe, a lounge and community allotments, gardens and farm.

Cycling for Young People (awarded £9,800)
Working with young people (between ages 8 to14) Windmill Hill City Farm aim to provide:

• Free access to cycle maintenance lessons every fortnight
• An open access workshop equipped with basic maintenance tools for young people to carry out their own cycle maintenance.
• Two courses in Bikeability Level 2 training for children over nine years old
• Provision of free cycle helmets to all attending Bikeability Level 2 courses
• A cycle rack for children bringing their bicycles
• A bike store with six bicycles for children to use during cycle tours
• Organised bike rides on two Saturdays a month

Contact: Sarah Rowland
tel: 0117 9633252
email: sarah.rowland@windmillhillcityfarm.org.uk