Ministers award £450,000 for bike revival project

A CYCLING group has been awarded £450,000 to help encourage others to get back in the saddle.

Cycling UK wins £450,000 funding boost. Picture: Contributed

Cycling UK has secured the cash from the Scottish Government - through Transport Scotland - to run Big Bike Revival in Scotland for the second year running.

The programme, developed by the organisation, is designed to encourage thousands of people to cycle for everyday journeys.

It helps them to bring their bikes back into use by providing bike health checks, sharing maintenance knowledge and giving people more confidence in the saddle.

This year, it has joined forces with 100 community groups and bicycle recycling centres in a bid to encourage thousands of people to return to cycling and replace short car journeys with the bike.

Transport minister Humza Yousaf hopes 10% of daily journeys will be made by bike by 2020.

He said: “This is an ideal opportunity for people across the country to give those old bikes sitting in the shed a new lease of life by rediscovering the joys of cycling.

“I would encourage everyone to go along to their nearest event and take part in the various projects that will be running over the next two months.

“Cycling is a wonderful way to keep fit and healthy, and to spend time in our great outdoors.”

Events and activities will be held in every local authority area and include puncture repair workshops, basic bike maintenance, cycle health checks, cycle skills sessions and route planning.

Community cycle clubs will also be set up, offering training and support for volunteers to develop social cycling activities in their communities.

Suzanne Forup, head of development Scotland at Cycling UK, said: “The success of the Big Bike Revival in autumn 2016 saw over 1,400 bikes revived and given a new lease of life, with their owners rekindling their love of their bikes and cycling for thousands of everyday trips.

“This year we’re looking forward to working with community organisations, volunteer-led groups, local businesses and charities to build on this success and inspire even more people to enjoy a bike ride to get from A to B.”