Cycle North are offering free cycling lessons to young children in Sheffield this half-term, aiming to get more kids into cycling.
Taking place at Forge Valley School, the hour long ‘Learn to Ride’ lessons are open to those who cannot ride at all or are still very wobbly without support.
Cycle North is dedicated to increasing road safety and providing an alternative way to commute to school, by bike, for older children.
The free lessons are a great way to start out before moving onto more advanced skills.
Emily Ciandella, Cycle North Bikeability Administrator, said: “It’s so good for both the physical and mental health.
“It’s amazing how many children join one of our lessons and then they’re encouraging their adults to buy them a bike, and then in turn it’s like a domino effect.”
She added: “It’s not just improving the kids mental and physical health, it could end up having a positive impact on the whole family.”
Plenty of bikes and helmets are provided at the free lessons, making it accessible for all.
Cycle North is established across Leeds, Sheffield, Wakefield, Doncaster, Rotherham, and Kirklees where they also provide bike-ability courses in schools.
The company is already in 80% of schools in Leeds and aim to reach the same target in Sheffield, which is currently at 60%.
Ms Ciandella said: “It’s really nice to see children who might not be confident academically, absolutely shine doing something like cycling.”
Overall they have a team of 70 instructors who are all fully qualified National Standard cycling instructors.
They are government funded, enabling them to make all their lessons and in-school bikeability courses completely free.
Ms Ciandella said: “It’s really good to get the message out there for the free lessons during the school holidays. We’ve got a good turn out for some of the sessions but we’re still a little bit low on some others.”
To make sure the lessons are only taken up by Sheffield residents, a postcode will be required upon booking.
To book onto the ‘Learn to Ride’ lessons, you can go through Eventbrite to secure a place for your child.