Many of today's major problems such as the climate crisis, widening economic inequalities, worsening mental and physical health, and the hollowing out of high streets due to competition from online retailers are clearly global challenges. but increasingly, local communities are the ones taking it upon themselves to tackle them from the bottom up. Indeed, it could be argued that is the only way they will be truly overcome.
Rather than sitting back and moaning about all our woes, we felt it was time to act by setting up Cycling Minds as we are firm believers in the power of cycling to not just improve an individual's well-being, skills and job opportunities but also help revitalise the local community and work towards Net Zero by promoting active travel.
The enthusiasm with which this project has been received by local cyclists, social prescribers, Hexham Town Council and Northumberland County Council to name but a few rubberstamps our belief that something as simple as cycling can serve as a catalyst for real social, environmental and economic change. A strong and healthy community is a resilient one and we believe Cycling Minds is already playing a part in building a brighter future for West Northumberland and its people.
After a successful start, we have proven the Cycling Minds concept is valuable and makes a tangible difference in our community. Some achievements we are proud of include: running 27 community outreach events in the local area (especially low-income neighbourhoods); refurbishing and selling +50 donated bikes at affordable prices; and providing volunteering opportunities for 35 locals from teenagers to retirees, creating a fantastic inter-generational atmosphere. We have also delivered +30 activities for other organisations, run numerous rides attended by a variety of local people including young adults with SEN, refugees and temporarily homeless individuals, and had four people on our workplace training programme.
Cycling Minds is new and has a long journey ahead but thus far, everything points to us making a real difference. However, to build on what we have achieved in Year 1, we need to secure funding to cover some staff costs until we grow our revenues streams sufficiently to be self-funding (something we are already on the way to achieving). Without this, much of what we have achieved will have to be significantly scaled back and we will not be able to progress at the same rate, as we will become solely volunteer led.
