We are very excited that Sheffield Cycling 4 All, part of Disability Sheffield, has been awarded £46,000 over 2 years which will enable more disabled people to use the accessible bikes through providing more cycle sessions at a reduced cost. The funding has been awarded from HealthRich, one of 51 Community Interest Companies raising money to address health inequalities across England, Scotland and Wales through The Health Lottery.
2017 season begins 23 March
Spring is in the air so come and see the daffodils and join in our
launch party on 23 March 2017.
This will be the first of our Thursday open sessions which will run until the end of October.
Find out more about open sessions by visiting the information page.
Volunteers needed for our new Tuesday sessions
After a very successful and rewarding 2016 delivering our cycling sessions in Hillsborough Park on Thursdays we are delighted that, due to the support of The People’s Health Trust, we are now able to offer a second day for people to come along and enjoy our bikes.
We are seeking volunteers who are able to commit to a regular work pattern to join our new Tuesday team :
Hospitality/admin
If you’re comfortable with people and happy collecting data then we need your help greeting our cyclists, recording their details if they’re new, taking payments/register and providing drinks/hospitality from our hub on the ball courts. 9:30am unti 3:30pm Tuesdays.
Cycling enablers
We need help getting people on the bikes, choosing and sizing an appropriate bike for them, assessing their ability (control and braking) and ensuring their safety. We encourage our cyclists to enjoy the park and it would be great if you were happy to occasionally pilot one of our side-by-side tandems or take a wheelchair user on one of our wheelchair carrying bikes. You will need to be alert to our cyclists using the park in case any of them get into difficulties. 9:30am unti 3:30pm Tuesdays.
Volunteers get lunch from Lily’s and we can reimburse travelling expenses. Disability Sheffield will organise a DBS check for you. Huge smiles are guaranteed!
If you are interested in either role or something in the middle then please get in touch. We’re launching our 2017 season on 23 March and will begin Tuesdays as soon as we have a team able to deliver the new Tuesday session.
We believe in cycling for all in The Outdoor City. Can you help?
The Outdoor City website recently featured an article about Cycling 4 All. We are a charity that offers disabled people the opportunity to ride a wide array of adapted bikes. The team of volunteers run session every Thursday in Hillsborough Park. They support people with a range of disabilities, including people with a learning disability, to experience the joy of riding a bike.
Originally started using Big Lottery money seven years ago – the project is now self-funded with riders paying £5 a time. There are so many health, wellbeing and just outright fun benefits to a scheme like this and over its lifetime hundreds of people have experienced the joys of riding a bike because of Cycling 4 All.
But we are not content with this. Sheffield is The Outdoor City and as such we want to see even more people have access to cycling. Although the fees paid by people help cover the costs, more is needed to keep this project on track and to grow its reach. One of the big hopes for this year is to be able to work with Disability Sheffield and take the bikes into special schools within the city but they can’t do this without more funds. For £8,000 this project could not only keep running for another three years but it could also grow its reach and support more people to cycle.
So if you are a business or a cycling club, or even just a lone-fundraiser with a passion for Sheffield and you think you can help Cycling 4 All make this a reality, please get in touch with us please contact Emily Morton on emily.morton@disabilitysheffield.org.uk or by phoning 0114 2536750.
Cycling Session Leaders needed!
Are you a qualified cycle trainer?
Are you DBS/CRB checked?
Are you a keen cyclist?
Are you able to work in a self employed capacity?
If so, Sheffield Cycling 4 All would like to talk to you!
What do we want from an SC4A Session Leader?
- Suitably qualified people to join a small pool of cycle trainers able to share the responsibilities of leading open and closed cycling sessions.
- People happy to work outdoors with a few supporting volunteers.
- Ensure safety of service users and the general public during sessions
- Maintain consistently high standards of behaviour
- Ensure bikes are in a safe condition for clients to ride
- Supervise basic maintenance of bikes during session, tyre pressure, brake checks
- Supervise completion of group registers and other SC4A recording sheets
- Complete an incident report in the event of any accident or injury
- Supervise collection and banking of fees where applicable
- Ensure bikes are returned to secure storage ready for use by next user group
How does it work?
We pay £15 per hour to session leaders.
You must be registered self–employed as we will require invoices for your time.
We are a constituted community organisation, insured to run our activities through the CTC. However additional personal insurance (easily available through the CTC) is advised for session leaders.
We are looking for an ongoing commitment and regular availability.
Want to find out more?
Get in touch via our contact page and we’ll arrange an informal chat.
Volunteers needed!
Do you love cycling?
Do you like to share your love of cycling with everybody?
Do you know how to fix a puncture?
Do you like working in the fresh air?
Do you like helping people?
Sheffield Cycling 4 All needs your help!
What does an SC4A volunteer do?
The volunteer team is a pool of awesome people that are available to assist the qualified session leader in the delivery of cycling sessions. Various duties include;
- Preparing bikes before sessions.
- Setting up and packing away the bikes and equipment.
- Working outdoors to assist, support or accompany cyclists.
- Adjusting cycles and checking they are in a safe condition.
- Fit helmets.
- Basic bike checks, eg pumping tyres, checking brakes, cleaning after use etc.
- Recording progress on simple paper forms.
What sort of person suits the role?
We need enthusiastic volunteers who love and understand bicycles.
We are looking for caring individuals who understand that every person has different needs.
Volunteers need to be comfortable working around children and adults alike, and be okay with a bit of rain and oily hands!
What will you get out of it?
- You will gain experience delivering cycling activity in an outdoor setting.
- You will develop skills around caring and support.
- You will be trained to assist in the provision of safe and inclusive outdoor activities.
- You will get to share your love of cycling with a wide range of people from all different backgrounds.
- You will join the growing number of people committed to promoting cycling in Sheffield.
- You will get to spend time with lovely people, in a lovely park, in a lovely city, enjoying the fresh air!
Want to find out more?
Get in touch via our contact page and we’ll arrange an informal chat.
David’s Story
In 1988, David invested his time into cycling after early retirement and he soon became fully committed to solo road riding. Meticulous records were kept of distances covered and routes followed, but in 2008, there was a serious accident. David ran into a pothole in Derbyshire and was thrown off breaking his hip. With the support of his wife, he was determined to build himself up again by focusing on cycling.
During 2012, he had managed to ride over 5000 miles by Christmas but then disaster struck once again when soon after his 75th birthday he suffered a severe stroke and pneumonia. The consultant noted his above average level of fitness but David’s prognosis was very poor.
He had lost all his speech, was considerably weakened down his right side and severely affected by bouts of excessive fatigue that came on with very little warning. Despite this, David did not give up! He was in the Stroke Unit at Rotherham Hospital for eight weeks receiving physiotherapy and occupational therapy. David went from standing for a few moments without support to walking with a Zimmer frame within no time.
On hearing that David had previously been a keen cyclist, the therapist casually mentioned the Sheffield Cycling 4 All (SC4A) project at Hillsborough and that another of her stroke patients had made good progress on the scheme. Although hesitant, on July 11th 2013, David put on his bright yellow cycling jersey and socks and had an initial session at Hillsborough with the adapted bikes. The look of pride and achievement on his face was one that his wife will never forget!
David had decided that he wanted to get a suitable machine of his own and he was impressed by the range of modifications that were available in specialist shops. David ordered a bike and received it shortly after Christmas. His first ride covered a mile and a half in Rotherham’s Clifton Park. As a result of the adapted bikes, David can now spend quality time with his three youngest grandchildren and cycles once a week at Hillsborough with SC4A and also employs a companion to ride with him at other times during the week.
Put simply, SC4A has been an unbelievably positive influence for David. It provided the “spark” that allowed him to realise that once again, he could experience the “wind in his hair” and some of the freedom that cycling can bring to his now rather restricted world. SC4A gave him hope to persevere at a time when many of the things he valued most in his life appeared to have been taken away from him by the stroke. This would not have been possible without the support of Steve Marsden and the volunteers who continue to provide positive life changing experiences for many others.
Article composed by Sue (David’s loving wife).
Frame Stickers
As our bikes have names, we thought it about time we get some stickers to show them off.
We were lucky to have Eighteen Bikes over in Hope donate a little time and effort to cut the stickers out from vinyl. This is the stuff they use when building mountain bike frames, so it should stand up to the general wear and tear our fleet gets.
It’s a fiddly job, but it’s definitely worth doing properly!
Big thanks to Eighteen’s Matt Bowns for his help and advice.
We won!
Yay! Last night SC4A was awarded Grassroots Cycling Initiative of the Year at the 2014 Cycle Sheffield awards.
The award – a very cool polished cog – was accepted by Chair Caroline Waugh, who thanked all the volunteers for making the project what it is.
Many thanks to Cycle Sheffield for recognising our little project, and for putting on a good night!
SC4A on the Radio
We were on Radio Sheffield today!
Roving reporter Andy Kershaw did a live piece during one of our Thursday open sessions (along with having a good ride round trying out our fleet – he likes his bikes).
It was great to get the message out about our services and have the chance to enthuse about the project. Thanks to everybody present for giving a big cheery shout just as we went live!