Case Studies

 

Bikes so everyone can cycle

A grant from London Cycling Campaign (LCC) has ensured that all service users at Bede House can learn to ride a bike and cycle together as a mixed-ability group.

 

 

 

 

 

Parents and pupils learn how to cycle together

 When Sustrans’ Bike It came to Little Heaton primary school to promote cycling as a viable mode of transport to and from school for pupils, parents also got the opportunity to learn how to cycle and maintain their bikes with help from Sustrans’ Bike It officer Nes Brierley.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cycling enables mum to travel with her children

Caroline Waugh used to rely on her electric scooter for transport. After completing a 12-week ‘Cycle for Health’ course on a tricycle, she has now cancelled her mobility scooter rental and cycles her kids to school most days.

 

 

 

 

 

Cycling together improves a whole family's health

The Gosney family from Exeter participated in a local Sustrans TravelSmart project and soon discovered that using their bikes for more of their routine journeys was easy and enjoyable, and brought considerable health benefits.

 

 

 

Walking referrals help doctors and patients

After working with Ramblers to set up a walking group that she could refer patients to, Dr McAdam-Freud improved not only the health of her patients, but also gained two trained walk leaders from her clinic to lead walking sessions.

 

 

 

Dad of nine sheds two stone in eight weeks 

Commuting by bike has helped Colin Smith pedal his way to a healthier and happier lifestyle. He lost two stone in just eight weeks after taking up an offer of a free loan bike from Sustrans’ Active Travel project in Luton as part of an NHS healthy weight programme.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bentley Day Service gets walking

When project coordinator Jim Shaw started working with Bentley Day Service in Doncaster, he encouraged clients, who took very little exercise, to get outdoors and get to know their community better.

 

 

 

 

 

Group effort transforms local area 

 

Cycling builds confidence and activity levels at the same time

Richard Monk, project officer for the CTC’s Community Cycling Champions project in Colchester has established a regular programme of traffic-free bike rides for a group of clients from NHS North East Essex, which is helping to increase their confidence and activity levels at the same time.

 

 

 

Linking walking with the arts reaches a younger audience

When Get Walking, Keep Walking in Birmingham joined forces with one of Birmingham City Council’s biggest annual free arts festivals, they attracted many new walkers from a range of ages and backgrounds

 

 

 

 

 

Pupils and police officers teach each other new skills

When the Metropolitan Police signed up to teach cycling at a school for deaf children, they found that the pupils had a few things to teach them. Blue Wheelers’ project leader Police Sergeant Polly Rowell and her team at the Metropolitan Police Safer Parks team in Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill initially worked with the Frank Barnes School for deaf children toteach road safety awareness

 

 

 

Walking to work helped Sheila manage her diabetes

Sheila Bradley wanted to get fitter, but didn’t want to go to a gym. She said “I needed to do some exercise to help with my weight and diabetes, but I couldn’t get motivated.” At work, Sheila and her colleagues were sent the details for Walk to Work Week, and Sheila thought “I can do that.”

 

 

 

 

Two-Wheel Tuesdays get pupils cycling

Moseley Church of England School un Birmingham became a Bike It school in April 2008 with very few pupils cycling to school. The most successful incentive scheme has been the Bike It reward card with a weekly cycle to school day called ‘Two Wheels Tuesdays’.

 

 

 

 

Group improved health and confidence through walking

 

 

 

 

Access to loan bike kept John's mind and body healthy

When the opportunity to hire a bike affordably was offered through UTravelActive’s Velocampus scheme, University of Leeds student John Pelletier took full advantage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Walking brings a community together

The Warstock Community Centre is based within what was traditionally a white, working class neighbourhood. Over the last decade a more diverse community has emerged, but this diversity was not reflected in the use of the local community centre and there was a visible divide between the different ethnic groups

 

 

 

Owning a bike opens up the city

Muhammed Ahmad is a 16 year old from Pakistan who arrived in London in January 2008. Although he used to ride a bike in his home country, he did not own a bike in London and “had no idea how to repair one.” When Muhammed heard about the Spoke project run by the Refugee Council he was enthusiastic about taking part.

 

 

 

 

Working together improves community walking routes

Tanya Gallagher, the neighbourhood manager for South West Blackburn had been receiving complaints about a street in the area. Wanting to support the neighbourhood, she decided to approach ‘Fitter For Walking’ coordinator Bernard Kennedy. ‘Fitter for Walking’ is designed to help residents create streets they can be proud of – that feel safe, look attractive, and are well used by local walkers

 

 

 

It's never too late to learn how to ride a bike

Elaine Arkell had always wanted to cycle as a child, but wasn’t allowed a bike. When she turned 28 she was finally given her first bike, but after missing out on cycling as a child, she lacked the skills and confidence to use it

Now 50 years old, Elaine suffers from repetitive strain injury and chemical intolerance. She wanted to exercise outside to ease her symptoms, and found out about the ‘Agewell on Wheels’ project. It seemed the perfect opportunity to overcome her fears and rid herself of the traumatic memories of her earlier expeditions

 

 

Access to information gets the whole family travelling actively

Neil McCarthy in West Watford would advise anyone to take part in the TravelSmart programme. Already an occasional cyclist and walker, he found that the information and support offered by the programme provided new travel opportunities for him and his family

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cycling takes the stress out of commuting

Jim Cole is the project officer for Bike It in Doncaster. He helps twelve schools in the area to promote cycling as a viable mode of transport to and from schools. The aim is to create a pro-cycling culture in the school that continues long after he has left. Most of the beneficiaries in his programmes are pupils, but school staff also benefit.

 

 

 

 

Working together gets pupils walking

Step Up is a new campaign aimed at secondary schools to encourage students to walk for at least 15 minutes on their journey to school. Launched in October 2008, 150 pupils from ten schools in Northumberland, Middlesbrough, Darlington and Newcastle attended the Step Up launch event at Dance City in Newcastle upon Tyne

 

 

 

How a weekly walk can change your life

 After retiring from a busy teaching career, Lorraine Strookman was feeling the ill effects of putting her feet up. Within two years she needed an inhaler to control her asthma and was diagnosed with diabetes

 

 

 

 

 

Cycling in the forest brings independence for all

 The Independent Living Group (ILG) manages a number of registered care homes supporting adults with learning disabilities. Every week, they are supported in a number of services cycling in the Alton area of Hampshire at Alice Holt Forest. Cyclists of ILG first met ‘East Hampshire Cycling for All’ in May 2008. Most had never cycled before and many had assumed that this activity was not within their abilities

 

 

 

Online networking inspires new ways to start walking 

 Walk England is a new organisation that brings together everyone working to promote walking. Itsaim is to encourage and support more people to choose to walk in England as a way to be healthy, travel and relax.

 

Walking together is a social means to improving health

 Kalvender is a member of BowHaven, a user-run mental health centre for people living in the Tower Hamlets area of London. BowHaven wanted to get help with starting their own walking group, and signed up for the Ramblers’ Association’s new urban walking programme ‘Get Walking Keep Walking

 

 

 

 

MS doesn't stop Louise from cycling regularly

 Louise Trimble has MS and cannot walk for very long periods of time. Wanting to do more exercise, her GP referred her to CTC's Cycling for Health sessions

   

 

 

 

 

 

Cycling helped Servinder get her health back on track

 Servinder has diabetes and high cholesterol. Worrying about her sugar and cholesterol levels made her feel unwell and very depressed. After obtaining a referral from her doctor, Servinder joined the Leicester CTC cycling group
 

 

Walking helped John out of his flat

 John Brace suffered from agoraphobia for 11 years. He suffered from mild panic attacks and a general nervousness about being outside his flat.