Dorset children gear up for cycle to school week

All this week hundreds of children across Dorset have pedal powered to school in a national drive to encourage more youngsters to cycle.

It’s national Cycle to School Week, an initiative steered by the government-funded Bikeability to promote bike riding as an alternative to the car.

In Dorset, Bikeability is overseen and supported by Dorset Council to run free cycle courses across the county.

Dorset Council's Cabinet member for Place, Cllr Jon Andrews, said: "Cycle to School Week is a fantastic initiative and showcases the amazing work Bikeability is providing at our schools.

“Cycling is a great way to get to school, it’s not only fun and healthy but it’s also helping the environment by reducing the number of cars on our roads.

“Bikeability is teaching children valuable skills that last will last them a lifetime.”

Cycle to School Week (13-17 October) celebrates cycling as a fun alternative to the normal school-run traffic jam.

Children have been encouraged to pledge to cycle to school every day during the event or to swap just one car journey for cycling.

And as well making cycling enjoyable now, Bikeability provides skills for life, helping children to cycle safely and maintain a healthier lifestyle into adulthood.

One local school that has successfully teamed up with Bikeability is Dorchester Middle School.

Headteacher, Jon Webb, said: “I think it’s really encouraging to see so many pupils at Dorchester Middle School ride bikes and embrace cycling.

“It’s real pleasure to work with the Bikeability team, who are doing amazing work in our school.”

Since 2013, Bikeability has been supported by Dorset Council to runs its courses at schools.

Last year, Bikeability trained around 3,000 Dorset school children and since it started an estimated 25,000 students have benefited from its courses.

Bikeability provides three levels of training, from basic playground training to advanced on-the-road training. 

Find out more about Bikeability courses in Dorset here.