Scheme of the Month - Cycling and Young People, Derby City Council
Cycle Derby has had huge success in the last eighteen months with regards to working with young people; from cycle training to events, coaching and clubs.
In this time the take up for Level 2 training has risen from 300 pupils per year to over 1500. During the 2007/2008 school year, Derby has prided itself in offering every single Year 6 child with Level 2 Bikeability training. From September 2008, every Year 5 child will be offered Level 1 training following a successful pilot in 10 primary schools.
Derby sees the Bikeability training as a stepping stone for children and adults to becoming regular cyclists. To sustain the levels of interest, Cycle Derby is dedicated to offering as many cycling opportunities it can. After school clubs are currently run in 29 of the 54 primaries in the city, with the remainder signing up for next year. This after school provision also feeds into a BMX club and this year has targeted the Midlands Cyclo Cross league.
School holidays are always a time when children need to be kept amused and so every holiday is catered for with cycle clubs, camps, learn to ride sessions and extra training.
All of the above is clearly having an impact, with a recorded increase of 100% in children cycling to school and every club being filled to capacity.
One of the more recent successes has been the BMX club. Ever since their Bike It officer secured funding from Rolls Royce to boost the struggling club a few years ago, numbers at the club have risen from twelve to a waiting list of over one hundred.
Regular monthly meetings which incorporate top level coaching that caters for an amazing age range from four year olds up to twenty years of age continue to be booked solid. Kids who attend can either bring their own bikes or benefit from the excellent equipment provided by the Cycle Derby team. All ages are given two to three hours of quality skills training followed by an hour of races and any youngster who wishes to do so is given the opportunity to race in the local East Midlands league and all this for free!
Thanks to the backing of Cycling England, Cycle Derby is now developing a brand new National Standard track on the existing Alvaston site, due to open in July.
In anticipation of this, Cycle Derby has already created a structured club which will run weekly, secured even more funding to increase the number of bikes and safety equipment and had discussions with British Cycling to guide up and coming stars through the “talent scheme”. Cycle Derby will continue to hold the free monthly sessions to maintain its policy of providing a sustainable outlet to their ever increasing “after school” clubs and offering alternative cycling to any child who wishes to take part.
Photo credits Sarah Martin-Smith
For further details please contact Mark Smith at Cycle Derby:
