£43k funding joy for city’s young cyclists

Brighton & Hove City Council has been awarded £43,440 by the government to provide cycle training for schoolchildren.

Around 1,200 children aged 9 to 14 are expected to benefit from the new £43,440 worth of funding, which starts in April until the end of August.

It will pay for training through the nationally accredited ‘Bikeability’ scheme, which the Council has been running since 2008 and is available to all schools in the city that have junior, primary or secondary age pupils.

The training covers a range of levels, from learning to ride in a traffic-free environment to more complex riding on busy roads around the City.

Councillor Gill Mitchell, Chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee, said: “This funding is an excellent way to promote cycling to children across Brighton & Hove. If they can learn how to ride safely on and off road it will help them get active, have fun and encourage them to use this sustainable form of transport.”

Moulsecoomb Primary School have completed all the training for the scheme and 6 children have passed level 3, which is usually completed by students in secondary school.

Ian Smith, of Moulsecoomb Primary School, said: “Bikeability is the gateway for children to learn how to ride and cope with how to ride safely. It is taught step-by-step allowing children to fully understand the different levels of how to deal with today's traffic.

“It has been run very successfully at Moulsecoomb Primary School and has received lots of positive feedback.”