Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced £18 million for cycle training across the country to ensure children and their families have the confidence to choose active travel, as the government encourages everyone to choose to walk or cycle where possible.

The funding, which is managed via the Bikeability Trust charity, will go toward delivering high-quality, practical on-road cycle training as a modern day equivalent of the ‘cycling proficiency’ scheme many parents will themselves have undertaken during their school days.

This is great news for Manchester Schools and their students. The PE Association manage a Bikeability Programme. Full details can be found here.

Emily Cherry, Executive Director of the Bikeability Trust, said:

The commitment of government to fund Bikeability in this next year is hugely welcomed as we seek to ensure that every child can access cycling as a life skill by 2025. This record investment will allow us to reach more children and, importantly, their families too, as a result of additional funding for our Family module.

Personally, I know the value of Bikeability cycle training for both children and their parents, having taken part in family training with my teacher husband and our children. Now, they cycle to school daily using the skills they learned from the training and, as a family, we continue to enjoy cycling together. Bikeability is the first step to ensure that adults and children alike have the confidence and competence to cycle.

Pupils of all ages should consider walking or cycling to school, especially if they live a short distance away from their school or college.

For those who are driving, they should avoid sharing a car with someone outside of their household or support bubble.

The full report can be found here