Published Friday 10 September 2021 at 11:30
A £18,696 grant has been awarded to BwD re:fresh team to encourage more people to ride a bike, after a successful application to British Cycling’s Places to Ride capital grants programme.
The funding will be used to provide a marked learn to ride track accessible to all in Witton Park along with 2 adult folding trikes and helmets. Delivered through a unique partnership between British Cycling, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) and Sport England, the Places to Ride programme has made £15 million available to ensure a lasting legacy in England from the 2019 UCI Road World Championships. The championships took place in Yorkshire in September 2019.
The launch of the new cycle track will take place on Friday 17th September 10am, where the Mayor of Blackburn with Darwen, Councillor Derek Hardman, will be in attendance to greet any existing early years bikers who have been invited to try out the track for the first time and children across BwD are encouraged to come down to the park between 12 and 2pm for free hire of a variety of bikes to try from Witton Park Cycle Centre.
Executive Member for Public Health and Wellbeing at Blackburn with Darwen borough Council, Damian Talbot, said:
It’s so important that we continue to create opportunities for residents across the borough get out and stay active. This new ride track not only promotes a healthier lifestyle but also encourages the use of our local parks and cycle routes – including our Weavers Wheel route that already exists in Blackburn with Darwen.
The Council’s partnership with British Cycling aims to deliver greater cycling activity in Blackburn with Darwen through a range of programmes and initiatives, helping to get lots of people back into bike riding or learn to ride for the first time.
Andy Farr, Head of Business Planning and Transformation at British Cycling, added:
The re:fresh team are doing great work to get more people cycling in Blackburn with Darwen, so we are pleased to support their efforts to bring the community together and give residents across all ages an opportunity to learn through Places to Ride.’
As we enter the final period of allocating grants through the fund, we are incredibly proud to see how it has already enabled so many people from a range of backgrounds – regardless of age, gender, ability or ethnicity – to get involved with cycling.
Charles Johnston, Sport England Director of Property said:
Sport England is proud to be delivering, in partnership with British Cycling, the single biggest government investment into community cycling facilities the country has seen in recent years. The investment will provide more facilities such as tracks and bike centres, where people can ride confidently and safely as well as access to essential equipment they need to have a go.
The 2019 UCI Road World Championships in Yorkshire set out to be the most inclusive, innovative and inspiring road world championships in the history of the sport, and followed a successful bid by British Cycling, UK Sport and Welcome to Yorkshire. The bid pledged to use the once in a generation opportunity to help transform Britain into a great cycling nation, and the Places to Ride fund has ensured that the impact of the championships will continue to be felt for many years to come.
To hire a bike visit: https://bookwhen.com/cycling
For more information regarding cycle sessions visit: www.refreshbwd.com