Bikeability Trust Annual Review 2019

What parents and teachers say about Bikeability William was nominated as Trainee of the Year in 2019 for his courage and determination. At the start of the Level 1 course, William was very nervous and lacked confidence. His cycling ability was poor, he struggled to ride in a straight line and keep control of his bike. He repeatedly said he couldn’t do it, that it was too hard and he wanted to give up. After some 1 to 1 training with an instructor Williammanaged to improve his riding enough to complete Level 1 although he still didn’t feel very confident. He said he would go away and practice more in preparation for the Level 2 course the next day. On day 2 it was obvious that he had been practicing as his ability had improved considerably although he was still full of nerves regarding cycling on the road. With constant encouragement, positive comments and reassurance William began to shine. By the end of the course he had successfully completed all training activities and earned his Level 2 award. His confidence had risen as had his cycling ability. He explains the difference Bikeability made: “ When I first got onto the bike I was nervous……but now I have had teaching I can go out on my bike every day and not worry at all…… I went from being hardly able to ride a bike at all to being fully able to ride a bike.” A proud parent expresses their views: “Earlier this year (Jan-Feb 2019) my daughter took part in one- to-one Bikeability training. She had been trying for many years, with no success to cycle independently. In the end, I had to give in and find somewhere that would teach her. She spent 4 weeks attending a course where they got her riding on her own with no stabilisers on the first lesson and her confidence and ability grew from there. So much so, that they even got her on some of the basic tracks. As a family we can now cycle together and she loves going in the woods and through the muddiest, wettest puddles she can find regardless of the weather and time of year.” An instructor explains why she learnt to teach Bikeability: “I became an instructor because I have children myself and I wanted them to be independent on their bikes and just have a sense of freedom, but I also needed to know they would be safe.” 10 www.bikeabilitytrust.org