upCYCLE was established in June 2020 by Philip Dobson. Inspired by the global Black Lives Matter movement and the impact that Covid has had on the community, he felt the need to help young ethnically diverse people in London. Working out of The Remakery in Brixton, young people can receive a refurbished bike for free and learn how to maintain it. They aim to address the diversity in London’s cycling community by creating a fun and inclusive environment for young people from ethnic minority groups to share their passion for cycling.
Through the Walking and Cycling Grants London (WCGL) programme, upCycle are delivering regular weekly opportunities for families to engage in cycle training within Myatt’s Field Park in Camberwell. The organisation works closely with the Angel Town estate and surrounding primary schools and provides Bikeability level 2 and 3 to children and parents. This involves testing their bike to ensure it is safe to use, introduction to riding their bike and building confidence in more advanced cycling skills to enable cycling on local roads.
Through delivering this project, upCycle have found that by having the parents and children learn side-by-side it greatly increases the chance they continue to cycle together, especially those families where the parent was hesitant about cycling. By fostering an open platform where families learn together they are more likely to support and share safety tips and take what they have learnt and implement it.
This supports the local community to cycle to school, other local parks and take part in activities further afield. upCycle supports families through four group led rides to help connect the community and reduce isolation.
Alongside the training they provide equipment to ensure participants are safe. Items include helmets, lights and locks, as well as participants receiving refurbished bikes that are donated from the local community.
It is expected that the group will work with 60 people in Year 1 and over 100 participants over the course of the project.