Active Essex and Essex County Council have been able to offer continued support to get Essex residents engaged in cycling. The Essex Cycle Grant provides organisations the opportunity to nurture and develop programmes and projects. Organisations have utilised this funding to offer bike rides, training and a range of other active projects.
Funding has enabled projects and initiatives to support residents new to cycling or those who have not had the opportunity to cycle before. Local, inclusive cycling opportunities are therefore essential to engage these residents so they can experience the many benefits of exploring Essex actively!
Essex Cycle Grant funding aims to support long term sustainable projects that will in turn become self-sufficient in the coming years. The grants will be offered to those who are able to take immediate action to reach people who are less physically active and would benefit from adding cycling into their daily movement.
Recipients have already benefitted from funding across Essex. In Greenstead, the Essex Pedal Programme have had a shelter built to encourage families to cycle together which was not possible before without adequate and safe bike storage. Those working at Greenstead Essex Pedal Power have reported that the daily usage of bikes has doubled so far due to the shelter.
Greenstead’s project has allowed families to spend more time together through group rides. Engaging in an activity together as a family will boost physical and mental wellbeing which shows the benefit of increased participation in an activity. Usage of the shelter for bike storage also supports active travel for the children and adults as well as benefitting the environment with reduced usage of a family car.
In Hadleigh, this funding has enabled a women’s cycling group to be formed called Women on Wheels in Essex (WoWiE). Hadleigh Park Cycle CIC identified the need for a women-only group to ensure a welcoming environment for local residents. 76 members are currently involved in the group already, reaching 75% of the target members in only 7 months. A group ride takes places on a Saturday, to build the confidence of the members as well as bringing the women together to socialise and form new relationships. This has increased the mental and physical wellbeing of the members because they can benefit from the movement whilst being part of a community.
Experienced members of the group have also been able to benefit from training which means they will be able to lead these weekly rides. Offering training and rider progression would not be possible without the Essex Cycle Grant funding.
Andy Fagan, Assistant Relationship Manager at Active Essex said;
“The Essex Cycle Grant is a joint venture between Essex County Council Sustainable Travel Team and Active Essex. It has been great to see the impact of the Essex Cycle Grant, increasing local, inclusive opportunities to those who haven’t cycled for a long time or were new to cycling. During financial year 23/24 over 20 organisations were funded by the Essex Cycle Grant, with approximately 50% of these being new projects. “
Find out more here: https://www.activeessex.org/health-wellbeing/active-environments/essex-cycle-grant/
