Esh Construction donates £6,800 to support mixed-ability cycling in West Yorkshire

Huddersfield-based Streetbikes has recently invested in two new bikes following a £6,800 donation from Esh Construction.

Founded by Active Travel Hub Manager, Gill Greaves, and a group of like-minded cyclists in 2009, Streetbikes is committed to transforming people’s lives through cycling. Since then, the charity has prospered from a small recycling project helping underprivileged people in Kirklees, into a well-established community initiative supported by staff, volunteers and national funding.

Sessions are held on Tuesdays and Saturdays, welcoming over 200 participants weekly, fostering a supportive environment for people who all share the same love for cycling. Streetbikes’ aim is to enrich the lives of children and adults with physical and learning disabilities, as well as vulnerable people with illnesses such as dementia, who face barriers to exercise, providing opportunities to develop and maintain good health and well-being.

The initiative was formed in partnership with YORhub’s YOR4Good fund as part of Esh’s social value commitments on the A638 Dewsbury to Cleckheaton Sustainable Transport Corridor scheme, where work is being completed on behalf of Kirklees Council.

Megan Roberts, Social Value Manager at Esh Construction, said: “We are proud to support Streetbikes and the amazing work and effort that is put into making cycling accessible to local people. The funding will help to remove barriers for participation, giving more people the chance to enjoy the physical and social benefits of being active.

"As a business, we are committed to investing in projects that create a lasting benefit for the local community, and we are excited to see the positive impact these bikes will have on the people of Kirklees."

The donation from Esh Construction has funded the purchase of a four-seater bike and a tricycle, helping to expand the inclusive sessions that Streetbikes run at Spenborough Athletics Track. Participants will now have the opportunity to ride alongside a carer, parent or volunteer, while also reducing the wait times for those who require the bikes, allowing more people to benefit from the sessions.

Gill Greaves, Active Travel Hub Manager at Streetbikes, said: “These bikes will give more participants the opportunity to ride a bike and give a wider choice of bikes to ride. The four-wheeler will allow teams of up to 4 to ride together. This allows for families and friends to ride as small groups with the less able riders enjoying the efforts of their friends and family. The adult tricycle gives riders the opportunity to enjoy the freedom, independence and confidence of riding by themselves.

“We have an increasing number of riders coming to our track sessions, so we need to be able to offer a bigger and wider range of bikes. With the support from Esh, we have been able to meet this growing demand and keep more people riding. The smiles on our participants' faces show how important it is for Streetbikes to provide an ongoing safe and fun environment to ride.”

To find out more about Streetbikes, visit https://www,streetbikes.org.uk/

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