A £135k project will launch on Tuesday as a new bike track opens Tuesday 29 August on Victoria Embankment
Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Culture – Councillor Dave Trimble will cut a ribbon to officially open the track and the public is invited to drop between 1-4pm for the launch when Ridewise will be in attendance with free bikes to ride, and instructors offering tips and advice. Parklives will also be running various activities.
Built with the support of a £50k grant from WREN and developed and constructed with the City Council’s Parks and Highways teams, the track features a miniature road layout with traffic lights, zebra crossing, roundabout, and junctions. The aim is to allow children to learn road skills and road safety in a fun and engaging environment.
The track is suitable for toddlers (balance bikes) up to 11 year olds and scooters are also welcome.
It is hoped there will be formal courses on road safety and learning to cycle on the course in the future. At present, the park is free to use and open to the public at any time, right through the week.
Cllr Dave Trimble Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Culture said: “It is wonderful to see the opening of the junior bike track. What a great way to introduce children to road safety from a really young age, while providing a really engaging space to enjoy the outdoors. They can play, and have fun but learn at the same time. We are grateful to WREN for supporting this project and thanks to our hard working Highways and Parks teams that made this happen. This will be another fantastic asset for our City Parks.”
Cheryl Raynor, WREN’s grant manager for Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and Nottinghamshire, said: “It’s wonderful to see something we have funded finally open and ready to make such a difference to children in the local area. WREN is always happy to consider grant applications for projects that benefit local communities and this is a great example of what can be achieved.”
Tony Bates of Fast Graphics who provided the signage for free said: “We applaud the initiative of Nottingham City Council took in creating something that will not only entertain children but also provide important education in road sense. As soon as we became aware we were keen to provide our support and enjoyed supplying the scaled down signage which we can’t wait to see in place. Nottingham has some amazing parks and open spaces and it’s important to support their development.”
Notes to editors:
- WREN is a not-for-profit business that awards grants for community, biodiversity and heritage projects from funds donated by FCC Environment through the Landfill Communities Fund and Scottish Landfill Communities Fund.
WREN was established in 1997 and since then has provided over £200m to more than 7,000 community and environmental projects throughout the UK. - Ridewise – RideWise is a Nottingham based charity whose aim is to help and encourage as many people as possible to get on a bike and safely cycling.
They work closely with the local health sector, Universities, City, County and other councils as well as with transport, sport and leisure teams, community organisations, disability organisations youth groups and primary schools. - ParkLives is an initiative run by Coca Cola which is a free and easy way to get the best out of your local park. It delivers a whole host of activities from tai chi to donkey grooming! Activities take place in a relaxed and supportive atmosphere. This isn’t about breaking world records, the emphasis is solely on fun.