Bright Futures launches new scheme to get more young women cycling in South Tyneside.

A South Tyneside women’s charity has teamed up with Sunderland Young People’s Bike Project to encourage more young women to get involved in cycling.

The scheme has been made possible thanks to funding from the Bike Ability Trust and Department for Transport.

Bright Futures works with young women aged up to 25 to give them just that, a brighter future, by raising their self-esteem and confidence around a range of issues including alcohol and substance misuse, child sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual health and relationships, homelessness, family relationships, friendships, school, education, training, crime and antisocial behaviour.

A recent report by Cycling UK found men do nearly three times as many cycling journeys than women. Bright Futures decided to take up some research of its own to find out how many women cycle in South Tyneside.

After consultation with more than 40 young women from South Tyneside, the charity found that 47% of them did not have access to a bicycle and 62% would not know how to fix or maintain a bicycle.

The new and innovative project will deliver a range of inclusive sessions, including the opportunity to gain qualifications, increase overall health, understand bike safety and maintenance as well as supporting young women to identify new, safe cycle routes. The project starts this month and will run through until September 2022 with various dates and times which will be confirmed via social media.

Dominique Hendry, Project Manager at Bright Futures said: “We understand the importance to encourage safer cycling, to maximise its health, environmental and other benefits, and to improve overall safety for all road users by supporting participants in cycling activities.”

Emily Cherry, chief executive of the Bikeability Trust, said: “We’re proud to support Bright Futures, who have some fantastic work planned to enable more girls and young women to access cycle training. This will help them learn to cycle but also help them learn more about staying active, maintain their cycles and travel independently and sustainably. We can’t wait to see the project in action!”

For more information or to get involved, please contact Bright Futures Young Women’s Project via social media or call 0191 4551196.

Support your Gazette and become a subscriber today.

Enjoy unlimited access to all of our news and sport, see fewer ads, experience faster load times, test your brain with daily puzzles and get access to exclusive newsletters.

Your support for our journalism means we can continue telling South Tyneside’s stories for generations to come. Click here to subscribe - and click here to get a snapshot of the Gazette’s news and sport to your inbox through our email newsletters.