Sparewheels has agreed to fund six mountain bikes for the Biking North Project open to care-experienced young people from East Lothian High Schools.
Benefits: This project is a year long development programme using biking and the outdoors as a vehicle to develop life skills including responsibility, cooperation, resilience and confidence. There is a strong focus on Health and Wellbeing with an opportunity for an expedition in the Highlands, and gaining cycling specific awards.
Benefit – The grant allows the deliveries of regular boxes of locally grown and produced fresh food and vegetables to homes, schools and businesses in an around Dunbar. The regular deliveries can now be done carbon free and the vehicle is able to be shared with the Community Bakery. This sharing will have the environmental benefit of further reducing the ‘food miles’ required to deliver food to the customer. This vehicle will enable regular deliveries to be made to elderly people who find it difficult to visit these Community shops.
Quote – “Without this grant we would have been unable to afford the purchase of an electric vehicle and we would have had to buy a second hand diesel vehicle”.
Sparewheels CIC has awarded a grant to purchase and maintain six small and medium sized mountain bikes for Primary 7+ which will widen the offer of bike activities for East Lothian children. Bikeability deliver training in cycle safety to get children on the move.
Benefit – These six new bikes will enable children to learn how to cycle safely and will mean that a large number of children will be introduced to the exercise and environmental benefits of cycling. This will let East Lothian school children experience learning in the outdoors, including cycling, and supporting the delivery of the curriculum in new ways. This includes delivering sessions for children, including Bikeability cycle training and mountain biking, and running training for school staff and parents who can then deliver training directly to more children.
East Lothian Council Outdoor Learning Service run cycle training and CPD for 100s of children and adults per year, with only a small pool of 11 bikes, that are P6/P7 size. It is a struggle to find a wider size of bikes and adult sized for those attending Bikeability training. Offering six new quality bikes in a wide range of sizes will result in far more children and adults having access to well maintained equipment.
“I am delighted as we have been using the new bikes for pupils who had never cycled before and were now able to cycle to school ” Philippa Barber – Outdoor Learning Instructor
SpareWheels first grant was to a new chapter of Cycling Without Age in North Berwick to allow them to purchase an electric tricycle for jaunts around the town. A partnership with North Berwick Day Centre has trained up 9 pilots to use the bike and take people on tours.
Benefit – These specially adapted electric ‘trishaw’ cycles enable older people who have limited mobility to still appreciate the outdoors and the thrills of cycling. Other members of the public will see these electric trishaw bikes on the road and how they successfully negotiate the hills within North Berwick with two people on the front of the trishaw. People will be encouraged to consider the benefits of electric bikes themselves in small town when there is a lack of public car parking spaces.
“Two elderly passengers were merrily singing with joy as their trishaw sped down the streets of North Berwick on a sunny afternoon” Pilot of the Tricycle
“Older people have the opportunity to feel fresh air on their faces as they cycle around and are able to have a conversation with the person they go on the trishaw with …. it builds confidence and they have the opportunity to have fun”
