Press Release
3rd November 2002
Croydon wins London Community Cycling Initiative Award
Croydon's cycle campaigners have been recognised as running London's most outstanding local cycling community project. At the London Cycling Campaign cycling awards Croydon Cycling Campaign were awarded the Best Community Cycling Initiative award for their innovative Cycling for All project. Mike Armstrong, CCC Coordinator collected the award from John Biggs, Chair of the Transport Committee of the Greater London Assembly.
Award presentation
The Cycling for All project started out of a desire to give equal rights of choice to all individuals. Croydon Cycling Campaign recognised that adults with special needs and disabilities seldom if ever have the opportunity to try cycling in a safe environment. The project has grown rapidly from informal monthly sessions to the point now where Croydon Sports Partnership, the Mayor's chosen charity, provide staffing for the twice weekly cycling sessions currently running at the Croydon Sports Arena.
Liz Mincer, project founder and organiser says, "This is the most rewarding project I've ever been involved with. It's amazingly satisfying to be present when people learn to cycle for the first time in their lives, or when they confess just how liberating the experience of cycling feels."
Currently up to 35 people a week use the cycles, and the project regularly receives calls from new cyclists asking for more sessions. The project has gone through challenges with four of the specialist cycles being stolen on 9th September 2002, one, a dark red trike, is still missing and only one of the others has been fully repaired so far. However, secure storage has now been installed at the site and the project continues to expand. Open sessions are currently being held on the first Saturday of every month between 10am and 12 noon, and volunteers to help with the weekday sessions are very welcome.
The "Victorian" tandem
Looking to the future, we are applying for funds to provide training for some of our cyclists who want to learn to help maintain the cycles, and are hoping to run one-to-one on-road training for those who wish to learn to use trikes as a form of daily independent transport. We are also very aware that the higher purchase costs of tricycles can exclude many individuals from obtaining them for personal daily use. We would like to set up a tricycle renovation and recycling project to deal with this need. The project will continue to need to cover its ongoing maintenance and insurance costs will be looking for regular support to cover them. For further details see the Croydon Cycling Campaign web site www.croydon-lcc.org.uk or contact Liz on 020 8681 7600.
Mike Armstrong, Croydon Cycling Campaign Coordinator, said "I cannot praise the efforts and dedication of Liz Mincer too highly, she has done an amazing job in launching this project, and has demonstrated a great talent for organising and fundraising. This project gives people the opportunity to experience the joy of cycling who might otherwise feel excluded from physical activity. Seeing the smiles on the faces of people with mobility difficulties discovering that they have the ability to cycle has been deeply moving. It shows that cycling can be a positive and enabling experience for everyone, and that even if you cannot ride a conventional bicycle there are many other cycles available out there which could get you out and about. Now we need to see Croydon Council deliver the improvements for cycling promised in their June 1998 Cycling Strategy so that many more people, of all abilities, feel able to travel by cycle."
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