Extra Summer Sessions
Croydon and Lambeth Councils have awarded us some funding for extra cycle sessions for disabled children and young people this summer. Please check Cycling for All and Bikes in the Park for more details.
Past news and events
18 May, 2010 - Wheels for Wellbeing wins the Lottery
We are delighted to have won a 3 year grant from the Big Lottery Fund for our work in Lambeth and Croydon. The £330k award will secure our three weekly sessions.
Anne Wright, who comes regularly to Wheels for Wellbeing sessions in Brixton’s Brockwell Park said: “I am so pleased about this funding, as I know that I will be able to continue cycling with the club. Cycling gets me out and exercising. It has made me determined and has given me much more confidence. I’m now planning to buy a tricycle to ride on the road, with training from Wheels for Wellbeing. That will make me much more independent.”
Isabelle Clement, Chair of the trustees, says; “We are very grateful to the funders and other supporters who believed in us from the start 3 years ago - they made it possible for us to be awarded a Big Lottery Fund grant now. This funding comes at a difficult time for many in the voluntary sector so it is particularly welcome. On behalf of all the trustees, staff and our participants, I would like to say a big thank you to the Big Lottery Fund in appreciating the value of what we do. ”
Janet Paske, the Manager, says “Funding cycling for disabled people is funding much more than access to leisure, transport and sport. It can mean increased mobility and personal safety, getting around without having to deal with the prejudices of others. Thanks to the Big Lottery Fund, we know that we can look forward to supporting more disabled people to cycle over the next 3 years.”
Download this news update as a pdf with photos.
24 Mar, 2010 - Dame Tanni at the March 2010 LDCF meeting
Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson (who has 11 gold medals as a wheelchair racer and who is entering the House of Lords this month) attended a London Disability Cycling Forum meeting on Tuesday March 9th to find out what is needed to get more disabled people cycling. Cycling has a high profile in the press and much government expenditure is now being spent on cycling but very little of this is directed at disabled people of any age, whether children, people who are working or older people.
Of her visit to the meeting, Dame Tanni said, “There are of course barriers to be overcome in trying to raise awareness of cycling as an activity that disabled people can take part in. I found it very interesting to meet people on the ground who have direct experience of cycling, whether on 2,3 or 4 wheels, in parks or on the road. It was good to hear first hand what they think is needed to encourage more disabled people to cycle.”
Dame Tanni is keen to improve access to transport for disabled people. She brings with her the kudos of her haul of 11 gold medals as a wheelchair racer and will be entering the House of Lords in March 2010.
For more information take a look at the press release.
29 Jan, 2010 - Cycling for All needs £23k
Update 2/3/10: Thank you to everyone who has been in touch since hearing about our funding situation earlier this year. We now have some good news as since our last update, we have been successful in being awarded £10k from a charitable trust. This means that we can run until the end of August. However, we still have only £12k of our £35k target to run our Monday and Saturday open sessions throughout the year so read on to see how you can help.
What’s different from last year?
Late spring last year we were in a similar poor funding position due to a misunderstanding with Croydon Council, but we were lucky as the Leader, Cllr Mike Fisher, stepped in and £25k was secured for us. Unless we have some help from you though, it is very unlikely that that will happen again. Councillors this time have prioritised the re-development of Purley Town Centre, reducing the likelihood of us continuing Cycling for All. And unlike this year, we will not be able to subsidise Cycling for All from other income.
What we have done to secure funding for 2010/11
As you know, the recession and the credit crunch have made it a difficult year for everyone. For us, it means that 8 applications to charitable trusts or Croydon Council/ NHS have been turned down. We still have 2 applications outstanding but experience has shown us that what we provide is not looked upon favourably.
We have secured funding from other sources too. Some people have done sponsored activities for us or just made donations, raising over £14k for us. We have also piloted an idea for an independent income stream but need more staff to be able to implement this to raise the money we need.
What you can do to help
1. Write to your elected representatives
2010 is election year for your councillors. You can help us by writing to your councillor asking them to put pressure on the Leader to find some funding for us. I have drafted a template letter which will get you started if you’re not sure what to say. And you can find your local councillors here .
2. Find corporate sponsors
Croydon has many employers, many of which have a “corporate social responsibility” policy. Now is your chance for them to demonstrate it to you! To save you time and prevent us starting off on the wrong foot with a company, I suggest checking the business’s policy first and seeing if what we do fits in. I have produced a factsheet explaining about the project which you can use as introductory material.
Alternatively, if you think you might have a useful contact but want to have a quick chat with me first, just give me a call on 020 7346 8482.
3. Do a sponsored activity
A team raised nearly £2.5k jumping into Brockwell Lido in December. Can you think of a quirky or challenging activity which people would sponsor you to do? Our justgiving page makes it easy for you as you don’t have to handle any money and extra income can be raised through Gift Aid. Visit our justgiving site to see how easy it is.
4. Make a donation
Donations can also be made at our justgiving site with Gift Aid automatically reclaimed.
Any help you give will make a difference. Do get in touch if you have any ideas or queries.
25 Nov, 2009 - Dame Tanni attending the LDCF meeting
LDCF meeting: Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson, the British Paralympian and director of Transport for London, is attending the next London Disability Cycling Forum on Tuesday 9 March. Check out London Disability Cycling Forum page for more information.
19 Oct, 2009 - Suspected arson attack destroys Brockwell cycles
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Update 19 Nov 2009: On Friday 16th October our 12 3 and 4 wheeled cycles and 11 bicycles were the victim of a suspected arson attack at their Brockwell Park home. All our helmets, tools and other session equipment were also destroyed. The fire brigade was called at 11pm but it was too late for our cycles. The police spent much of Saturday investigating the crime scene. The police strongly believe that the fire was caused by arson. Detailed results will not be available for another 4- 6 weeks.
The Council has secured quotes for the storage area to be brought back into use and we wait to here whether/ when this will happen. If for some reason it is not possible to bring it back into use, then we may well need to re-locate our sessions from the Park. So if you know of a possible site in Lambeth please get in touch. We will need a large flat surface for cycling, a site which is well secured from the road or else situated in a park, space for us to store our cycles (we could provide a steel container if needed), and an accessible toilet. The loss adjuster has made his report so we are awaiting our first interim payment. Once received, and once we have quotes in for our cycles, we can go ahead and place orders. Often the cycles are made to order so it could take 6-12 weeks to take delivery. If we did need to find another location then we may well need to raise additional money for a steel container - unless someone knows of a company which no longer has need of theirs. Should you wish to help us secure this, please visit our Wheels for Wellbeing justgiving page. In the meantime we have to suspend our weekly Park autumn and winter sessions. We will be working hard to get our cycles replaced so that you can get cycling again as soon as possible. If you want to be notified of when we are re-starting please Get In Touch to ask to be added to the mailing list. In the meantime you could visit our Croydon site in South Norwood. More details at Croydon Cycling for All |
29 May, 2009 - Bikes in the Park to continue to March 2010
Lambeth Transport has provided some additional funding so we can run our popular cycle sessions for longer. Together with our Sport Relief, Peter Minet Trust and Communities for Health funding, this means that our sessions can continue until at least March 2010. Visit our Bikes in the Park pages for more information.
26 Mar, 2009 - 3 hour sessions at Croydon Cycling for All
From April we will be doubling the length of our Cycling for All sessions at Croydon to 3 hours on both Saturdays and Mondays. Our session times will also change slightly. On Mondays we will be open from 10.15 - 1.15 and on Saturdays from 9.45 - 12.45. Why not take advantage of these longer sessions to arrive a bit later or even finish your cycle session with picnic lunch in South Norwood Park?
More about Cycling for All at Croydon Cycling for All.
15 Dec, 2008 - 2008/9 annual review available for viewing
Our annual report and accounts have been signed off by the trustees and our auditor so the annual review is available for you to read. Find out more about us by having a look.
04 Dec, 2008 - Cycling for All cited as best practice
We are proud that PRO-ACTIVE South London and the London Sports Forum for Disabled People cite Cycling for All as a best practice example of increasing participation in sport and physical activity for disabled Londoners.
Find out more about the sessions at here.