Bike to Basics trains 600 Stoke schoolchildren

Following a successful £1200 bid to the Children's Fund Local Network, Stoke-on-Trent Road Safety Unit has recently carried out cycle training for nearly 600 children in just five weeks.

A total of 27 schools in the City participated in a free, two hour Bike to Basics young cyclist training course. The children, aged between seven and nine years of age, were trained to improve their cycling skills on the school playground.

The Bike to Basics course includes; basic cycle maintenance advice; starting and stopping procedures; observation and signalling; cycle control exercises; and riding around an obstacle.

"Having won the funding from the Children's Fund it was decided to offer training to schools that had either never participated in cyclist training before, or had not participated for some time," said RSO Stuart Aldridge. "The free courses were delivered by a pool of paid cycling instructors.

"The project has been a great successes for both the Children's Fund and Stoke-on-Trent City Council's Transport Planning Group. As a result of the funding, 27 schools and nearly 600 children were trained to improve their cycling skills, with a further 10 schools on a reserve list for future training. Indeed, the available courses were fully booked within five days of the project being advertised," Stuart Aldridge concluded.

For further information contact Stuart Aldridge on 01782 232066, stuart.aldridge@civic2.stoke.gov.uk