CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Cycling News

Call for new cycle course volunteers

(24 posts)
  • Started 13 years ago by crowriver
  • Latest reply from wee folding bike

  1. crowriver
    Member

    An appeal has been launched to encourage adults to take part in a national scheme teaching cycling skills to Scots youngsters.

    Bikeability Scotland has replaced the traditional Cycling Proficiency Scheme, which was completed by hundreds of thousands of young cyclists.

    The focus of the new training scheme is providing children with the road skills they need to cycle safely in traffic.

    The free course is run by Cycling Scotland.

    Cycling Scotland said Bikeability offers much more comprehensive training than its predecessor.

    The programme starts with basic cycle control skills, instruction about riding on the road, and navigating basic junctions.

    Participants are then taught how to make independent journeys, plan the safest route along quiet roads and cycle paths, and negotiate traffic and more complex junctions.

    But adult volunteers from across Scotland are needed to provide the training.
    Ian Aitken, Cycling Scotland chief executive, said: "To allow us to give children an opportunity to receive the new and improved training, we really rely on support from volunteers.

    "All we need are committed and enthusiastic people who want to help deliver something that makes a difference in their local community."

    Volunteers receive training which qualifies them to teach cycling training courses in their area.

    Adults who take part are expected to spend one hour a week for six to eight weeks helping children to learn to cycle safely to school or for leisure.

    Gary Bell has already completed the training and has begun teaching children in the Edinburgh area.

    He said: "I wanted my children to learn to cycle safely and to get more kids to cycle too. If there are more kids cycling, and more adults cycling, that's got to be a good thing.

    "It's important for parents and other adults to lead by example. If your kids see you cycling, they're more likely to want to follow suit and learn to cycle themselves."

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-17063499

    Posted 13 years ago #
  2. chdot
    Admin

    I wondered when someone would post about this.

    It was always difficult to get volunteers (usually parents - in the year/s their child/ren involved) when it was just in the playground.

    Now there is quite a bit on road.

    Schools such as Sciennes train 90 kids a year with paid trainers (with volunteer help). Some money comes from Parent Council.

    Most schools don't do the same. Active Schools Co-ordinators have had some responsibility for 'organising' - but if their main interest is a different 'sport' it hasn't always happened.

    I wouldn't discourage anyone from volunteering, but I know there will never be enough volunteers - let alone experienced and confident training children.

    If Government/LAs were serious about a) getting children 'active' b) encouraging cycling they'd pay for proper trainers who would have jobs and be much better than people who only ever did one set of cycle training sessions (after only a day of trainer training).

    Posted 13 years ago #
  3. crowriver
    Member

    If Government/LAs were serious about a) getting children 'active' b) encouraging cycling they'd pay for proper trainers who would have jobs and be much better than people who only ever did one set of training (after only a day of training).

    Yes, but let's not get carried away: there's the Aberdeen by-pass to build you know! Not enough money to go around, difficult decisions, tough love, and all that...

    Posted 13 years ago #
  4. chdot
    Admin

    "Yes, but let's not get carried away: there's the Aberdeen by-pass to build you know! Not enough money to go around, difficult decisions, tough love, and all that..."

    'Different budgets' and all that.

    I've been involved in lobbying on this since before the Scottish Parliament existed.

    The fact that there is the 3 part scheme - which Cycling Scotland is responsible for - is real progress.

    We currently have a Government which talks about "preventative spending". Funding Cycle Training for ALL primary children would seem to fit that.

    A previous Government made sure that all children in Scotland had the chance to learn to play golf. I don't that was delivered by volunteers.

    Posted 13 years ago #
  5. crowriver
    Member

    A previous Government made sure that all children in Scotland had the chance to learn to play golf.

    You mean, SCOTLAND'S NATIONAL SPORT?!!! We'd be traitors to our own kith and kin not to give the bairns their natural inheritance. As for cycling, well a'body kens nae Scot was involved in the invention of the bicycle, Scots are rubbish at sport cycling, and a'body drives up here or gets the bus. We're brilliant at football though, and we might have invented that, too. Possibly. Er...

    Posted 13 years ago #
  6. splitshift
    Member

    conversations taken place already about this with my youth group, HOPEFULLY will be able to get 2 adults and up to six young people trained asap, with links to local schools and other youth, or other groups, so we might be able to deliver bikeability to any in our area.After speaking to people at action for schools it is clear that teachers want very little to do with this, ie, they dont want to have to deliver the training, so our lot can do it across the area, they give back to the comunity, and the comunity gets trained, with recognisable,local role models doing the training !Bike club funding routes as well, so we might be able to get a bike doc on the go as well!

    Posted 13 years ago #
  7. recombodna
    Member

    I'm about to do this course so that we can train the p6's and 7's at bruntsfield. Having real problems getting more volunteers among the parents though.

    The thing I'm finding is that the same faces run the after school clubs and do the school trips and the parents who do Nothing are the ones who complain about everything and drive the kids 100 yards to school........ Sorry did I have a wee mini rant there??

    Posted 13 years ago #
  8. DaveC
    Member

    Well I've registered with Cycle Scotland but have yet to hear from them. I mentioned this to my local bike mechanic who emailed Simon Frazer of Fife council. I've still not heard anything.

    I spoke to another bike shop owner Craig Hardie who wished me luck and told me he registered last year but never heard anything...

    Posted 13 years ago #
  9. wee folding bike
    Member

    I'm not going to help them and I politely emailed them the reason why.

    Still waiting for a reply.

    Posted 13 years ago #
  10. retrodirect
    Member

    Just signed up

    Posted 13 years ago #
  11. shuggiet
    Member

    Signed up yesterday. Will be interested to see what happens..

    Posted 13 years ago #
  12. SRD
    Moderator

    I'd suggest you contact your local school if you really want to do this. (Be warned: will probably require time of work)

    Posted 13 years ago #
  13. mgj
    Member

    Picture on the BBC is poorly posed; one child turning right has already crossed the centre line...

    My two can walk to school in 5 minutes so bikes have always been more trouble than they are worth for that, but I wasnt hugely impressed with the cycle training for eldest in P5, and she's never cycled to school after that. I'd like to see a scheme that engaged parents throughout primary to support their kids cycling to school; guidance for parents of younger ones cycling on the pavement and reassurance that that is ok for example (but not getting a backie on a bike with no child seat...), and how to safely coach while not getting hit by traffic.

    Posted 13 years ago #
  14. recombodna
    Member

    " I wasnt hugely impressed with the cycle training for eldest in P5, and she's never cycled to school after that." What was so bad it put her off?

    " I'd like to see a scheme that engaged parents throughout primary to support their kids cycling to school; guidance for parents of younger ones cycling on the pavement and reassurance that that is ok " Yeah me too.!!!

    I've just got confirmation that I've got a place on this course for the 8th of march.

    Posted 13 years ago #
  15. Roibeard
    Member

    My catchment's Active Schools Coordinator tried to get me interviewed for BBC Scotland, but I was out of Edinburgh - apparently there's to be a piece on Reporting Scotland tonight (1830).

    I got some training last year (see threads passim) and helped with level 1 in the autumn, hopefully assisting with level 2 after Easter. Purely selfish, mind you - I wanted my kids taught!

    @WFB, care to share your concerns? Is it to do with teaching/promoting vehicular cycling rather than investing in dedicated infrastructure; or perhaps with making cycling look hazardous?

    Robert

    Posted 13 years ago #
  16. chdot
    Admin

    "I wanted my kids taught!"

    Well that's a good enough reason - and why most volunteers volunteer.

    Parents also like to have their children taught English and Maths, but Governments pay teachers for that.

    Parents also like their children to learn to swim or learn an instrument. Not sure how many LAs still do that in school time or as a free extra.

    Governments want more children to walk and cycle and are 'happy' to rely on volunteers to teach a life skill which involves a certain amount of risk and the responsibility of dealing with other people's children.

    Doesn't seem ideal to me...

    Posted 13 years ago #
  17. recombodna
    Member

    It's far from Ideal but it's that or nothing at the moment.....

    Posted 13 years ago #
  18. chdot
    Admin

    "It's far from Ideal but it's that or nothing at the moment....."

    Yes, as I said above -

    "I wouldn't discourage anyone from volunteering, but I know there will never be enough volunteers - let alone experienced and confident training children."

    I suppose 'next' depends on how many volunteers this new campaign attracts - and in turn what proportion of children in Scotland get trained.

    Also, to some extent, who/where - social/geographic.

    It would be interesting to know the cost of training 'new' volunteers year after year compared with training a smaller who then did it as a part/full time job.

    There are such people who work in schools that want Cycle Training and can afford (school or parent organisations or parents) can afford to pay.

    Posted 13 years ago #
  19. LaidBack
    Member

    A previous Government made sure that all children in Scotland had the chance to learn to play golf.

    Whatever happened to that? ;-)

    I hear mixed reports about increased cycle rates (not sure how golf take up is doing - football still is king judging by the backed up car parks round teh playing fields yesterday). Children do learn from their parents and time spent watching them from the back of a car is very influential...

    Like many others have done a few bits on schools - not as volunteer though as being self employed I felt I should get something back. I funded my own training. Most enjoyable were the ones we did that went on during holidays. These taught children the skills to make joined up journeys on the routes they may use. Looking at tonight's piece we know that few parents would allow their children to ride on a road solo. Better I think to have cycle clubs that promote 'going places' by bike.

    These though take a lot of time and money... ones we did needed a thorough RA and a ratio of 4 trainers to 16 children. In theory 2 to 16 is ok but in practice if a child had an accident they'd need to have two adults with the one child and 2 with the remaining 15. By accident I mean even a minor type of thing!

    Posted 13 years ago #
  20. chdot
    Admin

    Last time I heard golf was another responsibility of Active School Coordinators.

    Some are quite keen on golf, some on cycling - some probably both.

    But they'd have to be superhuman to cover all the things they are 'responsible' for.

    A lot of schools don't do as much PE as they are supposed to and a lot don't want to do CT in school time.

    Once again 'cycling', which has a lot to offer in many different ways, suffers from the fact that it's not just transport, sport, exercise or a skill.

    Posted 13 years ago #
  21. DaveC
    Member

    I emailed cyclingscotland enquiring about the Pedal for Scotland and received a prompt response so replied asking about Bikeability. I was told they collect the details and passed them on to local councils Active whatever coordinators. So its the council's job to get in touch with us not cyclingscotland. They will chase later on to check how the Bikeability is progressing but knowing how local councils can be myred in buracracy I guess it will be weeks to come. But a positive response was that Fife has had 14 people so far so hopefully Fife council will gets its finger out and get organising. If they are cannie they may figure out that some volunteers work and will be taking holidays so make best use of our time. I'll keep this thread up to date.

    Posted 13 years ago #
  22. chdot
    Admin

    "I'll keep this thread up to date"

    Thanks, think it will be useful if other people do too.

    Posted 13 years ago #
  23. SRD
    Moderator

    "some volunteers work and will be taking holidays so make best use of our time" Perhaps cycle friendly employers could let staff have time off for training.

    Childcare for volunteers might help too - I notice the council offered to organize childcare so that we can go to the Boroughmuir consultation.

    Posted 13 years ago #
  24. wee folding bike
    Member

    Roibeard, yes, it's because they make cycling look dangerous instead of a normal activity.

    Posted 13 years ago #

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