Local News and projects

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Up for a charity challenge?
Disability bikes
Swindon Cycle map
Cycle hire in Swindon
Bike recycling
Brunel cycle park - latest news
Swindon cycle challenge
CTC cycle champions project
Report a fault
New Mountain Biking website for Swindon

Up for a charity challenge?

There is a 9 or 20 mile Ridgeway Bike Ride taking place on Sunday 29th August to raise as much money as possible for Darren Everden, Help for Heroes and Headway, the head injury charity clinic.  There is a minimum entry fee of £10, and there will be a trophy given to the highest fundraiser.   The rides start at 10am from Barbury Castle car park.
For more information, see www.london2tokyo.co.uk or call 07772 506771

 

Swindon Cycle map

To help encourage cycling, Swindon Borough Council published a new cycling map in 2009.  The printed version is available for free from various locations, including the Tourist Information Centre, libraries and council offices.  The map is also online in an interactive format.  View the new map online.

For more details about the map, visit www.swindon.gov.uk/cycling

Get cycling!

The new generic Get Cycling guide is now available. It’s a 32-page colour A4 for beginners produced by the Get Cycling company.  You can download a copy of the Get Cycling brochure (PDF) from their website here.

Cycle Hire

A bike hire scheme has been launched that allows you to enjoy the splendour of Lydiard Park and the Wiltshire countryside on two wheels.  Adult, children's and tots bikes, child trailers even tandems are available.

Visit www.redplanetbikes2go.co.uk for details.

Salvation Army bike recycling project

The Salvation Army, based at Booth House in Swindon are gearing up to open Swindon’s first bike recycling project.  The social enterprise will involve training residents to refurbish old cycles in order for them to be sold or donated to other community organisations.  The project hopes to get launched in autumn 2010.  Contact elizabeth.osborne@salvationarmy.org.uk for further details.

Recycle your cycle

If you have an old bike hanging around the garage, there are various options for getting it recycled so that it can enjoy a new lease of life.

Brunel cycle parking

Work has now been completed on creating Swindon's first Cycle Park in the town centre.  It was officially launched during Bike Week on 24th June 2010 and there are now dozens of users.  Anybody can apply for access to the park, which gives undercover locked cycle parking for up to 100 cycles.  It is free to use, but there is a £10 one off charge to cover the cost of your swipe card.  The park is situated on the ground floor of Brunel West car park (behind the big TV screen).  

Further details and an application form are available from www.swindon.gov.uk/cycling.

Picture of Brunel cycle park now completed 

Swindon cycle challenge

Around a thousand people in Swindon have signed up to the Swindon cycle challenge website to log the trips they undertake on two wheels.  Periodically the website introduces challenges within team, workplaces or individually.  There’s a video that explains more about the challenges at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlkI-a6Iscc

Join in and sign up now at www.swindoncyclechallenge.org.uk/home

 

CTC Community Cycling Champions Project in Swindon

This is a lottery funded project that simply aims to get more people cycling!  There are various projects running, including:

  • adult cycle training (free course for the over 50s),

  • getting people with disabilities into the saddle,

  • Cycling for health sessions

  • Mountain biking and BMX training sessions

  • Free social bike rides

For more details about the above projects, visit the CTC website.
 

Report a fault

Swindon Borough Council is responsible for maintaining public highways in the borough, which includes raods, pavements, paths, and cycle tracks.  There are regular routine inspections, but if you come across a defect or problem, it can be reported.

Full details of how to report faults and defects can be found online on the Swindon Borough Council website.  There is a hotline number set up for emergency defects - 01793 445501 (Mon - Fri 8am - 8pm, and Sat 9am - 1pm.  Outside these times, please call 01793 466453.)

 

New Mountain Biking website for Swindon

If you enjoy mountain biking, you'll be interested to hear there is a new Mountain bike website set up for enthusiastic mountain bikers in Swindon.  The website can be found at http://www.mbswindon.co.uk/

 

Disability groups showcase specially adapted bikes

Adults with varying disabilities raised money for charity by completing a sponsored six-hour cycle ride on a new set of specially adapted bikes.

 

Members from Upham Road Day Centre took to the County Ground Athletics Track on the bikes in aid of Barnardos on Tuesday, 23 February. The fundraising formed part of a launch day to highlight the availability of the new bikes, which have been bought by Swindon Borough Council and CTC (Cyclists’ Touring Club) using Big Lottery funding.

 
The new bikes include a Twister, which is a side by side tandem with two sets of handlebars and pedals, a hand bike for people with no lower body strength: a selection of trikes for children and adults and a pedal propelled quad bike. A recumbent trike, which allows users to sit back and steer from the side, and a platform bike, which is suitable for wheelchairs, have also been added to the range of adapted bikes.
 
For more information about the bikes, contact CTC’s Cycle Champions Officer in Swindon Anna Cipullo by email: anna.cipullo@ctc.org.uk or by phone: 07717 696 672.
You can read more and see pictures on the Swindonweb site.