Offering amazing continuity, creating legacy and promoting cycling advocacy, Go Velo are again training the year 8 pupils at Snt Christopher’s in Accrington. This is the 5th year in a row that Go Velo instructors have taught students from year 8, totalling over 1000 pupils, the skills they need to ride safely while commuting to school, for leisure and to encourage the “taxi of Mum & Dad” to stay at home.
Level 3 Bikeabilty covers all aspects of journey planning, including, route planning, what to carry with you while cycling and bicycle maintenance. Level 3 also teaches riders how to safely negotiate roundabouts, traffic lights and multi- lane roads, much of the infrastructure that we find around our schools, homes and in the urban environment.
Go Velo are empowering a huge number of children at Snt Christopher’s to have freedom of movement and to make good decisions from a health, well being and transport perspective.
In addition to the Go Velo, Level 3 Bikeability Course, Go Velo ensure that all participants bikes are road ready before the course begins, sending mechanics to the school prior to the coaching. On completion of the training Go Velo issue easy to read maps covering the schools main catchment areas. These offer traffic free options, using local cycle infrastructure in the hope cycling to school is encouraged.
All of this is made possible through an excellent relationship with the school, especially with some incredible organisation from Wendy Litherland, Director of Sustainability at St Christopher’s,
Who commented…
“At St Christopher’s, we pride ourselves on educating the whole child, not just academic progress. Bikeability is now an embedded right of passage in year 8. The ability to navigate the local roads and find the hidden cycle ways, opens up a plethora of opportunities to our children as we encourage them to explore our local environment. We promote the value of nature, by showing them. What better way than to give them the safe means to fall in love with our beautiful planet.
Our school is located on hill, so safely arriving and departing is paramount. Staff also model good bike behaviour and we have recently been awarded an access fund grant for e bikes, so we can keep up with the youngsters.
Whilst not everyone makes an immediate choice to cycle to school, we know from the 6 years we have participated with Go Velo that behaviour change is evident, and the summer brings out many more cycling.”
Kirsti Grayson, Go Velo MD added…”it’s amazing to return to schools and teach a new cohort of pupils each year. It really helps to build the cycling ethos in the school and in the wider local community. Wendy and her team have created an environment where cycling and active travel thrives and we are delighted to help!”
For more information see www.govelo.co.uk