Blog: 'Cycling is the most wonderful, joyful activity'
The English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS) website features a blog post every Friday through the year.
April's theme is local opportunities. This week, Wheels for Wellbeing’s Nat Cato discusses how his charity helps people of all needs and abilities climb aboard a cycle, often for the first time.
Nat’s blog
Based in Brixton, south London, Wheels for Wellbeing started its work years ago under Janet Paske, who at the time was managing a welfare advice service. Every day she encountered disabled people struggling with debt, who had difficulty staying fit, and who often experienced depression due to isolation and limited transport options.
An avid cyclist herself, Janet was conscious of how cycling had improved her own fitness, given her freedom of movement, provided her with a cheap, green mode of transport, plus the simple thrill of moving at speed in the fresh air.
Janet promptly left her job to set up Wheels for Wellbeing. Her vision, of an organisation able to bring the benefits of cycling to those who need them most, lives on today – we are an award-winning provider of inclusive cycling opportunities, currently running five inclusive cycling sessions each week.
We’ve also become a leading voice for disabled cyclists, campaigning for the chance to discover cycling, but also for the right to cycle as part of an inclusive cycling environment so we can all experience active transport and build physical activity into our daily lives.
Wheels for Wellbeing owns the largest fleet of non-standard cycles in London, over 200 in total, ranging from handcycles to recumbents, tricycles to wheelchair tandems.
If you come to one of our cycling sessions in Croydon, Southwark or Lewisham, you will be welcomed by volunteers on the registration desk and then meet one of our Cycling Instructors – it’ll be Dom, Angela, Tony or Debs.
They love nothing better than to get you cycling. They will listen to you as you explain how your body works, what you want to achieve, what you’re scared of and so on. After all, you know best about you!
They know loads about what is possible and together you will find the right cycle for you, whether it’s just about the right kind of pedal to hold your feet down or whether you need someone to tandem ride with you. The solutions all exist.
But if what you prefer to do is sit by the track and watch, before deciding whether you want to give it a go, our tea and coffee volunteers will happily offer you a cuppa. There is no pressure to go past what you feel comfortable doing or to beat any records.
Our sessions are inclusive communities where friends and family socialise, unwind and spend quality time together. Here are a few happy participants’ views:
“When Molly started coming she did not say a word to anyone. Now she won’t stop chatting. It makes it all worth it.”
“I took my daughter, Agnes, to an afternoon of unconventional cycling with Wheels for Wellbeing. This was a great introduction to bikes of all types. She started off with a cycle that was hand powered and we said ‘hello’ to a lot of walls and plastic cones. The patience of the Wheels for Wellbeing instructors knew no bounds. Later, she really got into her stride and fell in love with a red and yellow three-wheeler.”
Everyone is welcome, regardless of the reason for needing that little bit more support: visual impairment, loss of balance, amputation, any health condition including neurological, people with mental health problems or just lack of confidence, people recovering from operations or injuries, people with learning disability, autism, dementia, etc…
We welcome people of all ages, from under-5s to centenarians. People come alone or in groups, with friends, relatives or with paid supporters. There’s no need to book, and we cycle in all weathers.
Back at the office we also provide general advice and information about cycling with an impairment.
We coordinate the work of the Cycling for All network and support the growth of cycling opportunities for people of all ages across the capital, alongside our friends at Ecolocal, Bikeworks and Pedal Power.
We also provide advice to disabled Londoners who need help identifying the right cycle to ride or purchase.
We believe in disabled people’s right to travel actively if they so choose. Cycling can have equalities issues but, first and foremost, it’s the most wonderful, joyful activity and we urge you to try it.
For more information visit the Wheels for Wellbeing website or find them on social media. Nationwide cycling events are listed on the EFDS website.
