Pedal power in Ouse Valley helps the planet
August 8, 2023
Children are being equipped with life-long skills for cycling thanks to a sustainability scheme in the Ouse Valley.
The three-year project, Ouse Valley Climate Action (OVCA), is now well under way after being awarded more than £2m from the National Lottery Community Fund.
Greener travel is one of the focuses of the project and there have been a range of fun cycling activities for young people from the project’s base at the Active Travel Hub in Newhaven. The team have started weekly “learn to ride” sessions after school, where younger children can come along and learn to ride, unaided, for the first time.
There was a “bike fix” day, where young people could come and learn, from a qualified mechanic, how to do basic repairs and servicing for their bikes.
Jamie Lloyd, Engagement and Active Travel Officer for OVCA, said: “This has been a wonderful and heart-warming experience for everyone involved and it is great to see children come in on stabilisers and leave, at full speed, on two wheels.
“Encouraging people, of all ages, to travel actively is fundamental to the aims and ambitions of the OVCA project. Surface transport is responsible for 26% of the UK’s carbon emissions and converting people to cycling saves money and improves health and fitness. The National Park is easily accessible by bike and this is something we encourage all of our students to do, showing them accessible paths like the Egrets Way shows young people how to access the country side in a safe and sustainable way and our aim is to lead longer rides as the South Downs Way is such an excellent, traffic free route.”
To find out more about OVCA’s climate action work visit www.southdowns.gov.uk/climate-action-hub/ouse-valley-climate-action-ovca/
The National Park Authority has also set up an information hub where you can find out about local communities that are taking climate action. The hub has a range of useful guides and resources, with more to be added in the future. Visit www.southdowns.gov.uk/climate-action-hub/