The Challenge: To develop an enthusiasm for cycling which will drive young people to both fully embrace the opportunities available to them within the club, and to develop and further their experiences and skills as individuals. Background: Beacon Hill Community Bike Club was formed in 2010 for school children in Aspatria. Each year all members undergo an initial eight week skills and maintenance course before club rides began in the spring. In the summer term members train for and take part in a multi-day cycle challenge. These challenges have included the Coast2Coast, a Sea2Summit Adventure, international challenges cycling from Rotterdam to Dunkirk, a 160 mile WWI centenary ride in France, the Roubaix Velodrome and a 200+ mile extreme Challenge from the D-Day landing sites in Normandy to Mont St. Michel. The Club have won the Big Pedal National competition, cycled at the National Cycle Centre Velodrome and BMX track in Manchester and at Mountain Bike trail centres in England and Scotland. Riding the Coast2Coast was amazing that s the furthest I ve ever been from home!
Benefits for the Pupils: Enrichment The students being targeted have had few opportunities to travel. Many have never left the UK. For some the Coast2Coast ride was the furthest they had ever been from home. Even visiting a city is a huge experience for many as is evident with the popularity of our Manchester trip never mind foreign countries. Pupils have the often life changing opportunities to take part in these challenges. Many former members have returned years later and recall these challenges as, The best thing they ever did. Team Work Being a part of and belonging to a team and a club. Shared identity. Working together and supporting each other in order for everyone to succeed. Previous challenges have proven that EVERYONE needs help and support at some stage and that EVERYONE has something to offer to help others. The challenge is about helping people find their real strengths and sharing them with other members of a team. My mum was so proud! No-one thought I d complete the challenge but I did, we all did!
Challenge A physically demanding event which will require commitment and dedication to train for in the form of both regularly organised club training rides and personal commitment and effort. During the challenge high levels of determination are required in order to succeed. As a response to increasing rates of obesity in young people every effort is made to encourage students to lead a healthy lifestyle including taking part in sport. The engagement with such Challenges in previous years has led large numbers of students to regularly attend training clubs who otherwise held little interest and involvement with sport and exercise. They have proven particularly successful in engaging girls in sport. Inclusion In addition to being a sports club the Bike Club has served as an excellent tool for inclusion. Several otherwise disaffected students have engaged well and have found a place in Bike Club. Involvement and often responsibility in both the mechanical and physical sides of Bike Club. The club has been used interchangeably as a reward, as an alternate provision and as a perk which is subject to an agreed level of behaviour and effort in the classroom. The club has been open to and has involved the entire range of young people from the stronger older boys to the smaller younger girls, disadvantaged students and those with learning difficulties and physical difficulties. I ve never been abroad before! It was so tough but really interesting every day.
Cultural Exchange The Challenges often allow students to experience a different country; new food; practice their language skills; learn about different customs even to meet and cycle with a French school! Rather than a coach trip to tourist spots the cycle challenges really immerse members in foreign communities where regularly they interact with people who have no English language. Community Local police have regularly joined the bike club both for training rides and on the challenges. This has been extremely helpful in breaking down barriers and developing positive relationships between the police and the pupils. This link is something which we have worked hard to grow and I am pleased that the police have recently expressed a keen desire to maintain this link in the future including this year s challenge. As the challenges have become more ambitious the cost has significantly increased. In order to meet this financial demand the club has increasingly looked to the community. Local town businesses have supported us with equipment, raffle prizes and cycle top sponsorship. Last year we worked with over 40 local companies and raised almost 10,000 to fund the challenge ensuring it was still open to all members. This would not have happened without the positive engagement of the community and the hard work of club members. We all found it hard particularly the hills and the heat! Everyone had to help each other at some point, working together to finish together.
Learning Outside the Classroom Highly engaging and exciting Challenges can also be fantastic learning opportunities. There are continuous opportunities for skills, knowledge and curriculum content of Geography, History, PE, French, Maths and Science to be developed as well as key leadership and team working skills. In addition to this the benefits of just taking part in the challenge will help to further young people s learning. Child Psychologist Jean Piaget realized that experiencing the world in three dimensions is what enables us to develop even some of our most abstract concepts. If children increasingly retreat from a three dimensional world to a two dimensional world it is much harder to develop these capacities. We are constantly battling to attract teenagers away from their X-Boxes and Facebook a Challenge such as this is a perfect opportunity. I m not the strongest but everyone helps you to succeed! I think I did more fundraising than anyone else though! The bike club is great! There s nothing really to do around here but the bike rides are great, I can t wait until next year s challenge!
The future... The Bike Club has grown significantly, from a few boys learning to change a puncture to now having over 50 members. Over 100 young people have now taken part in multi-day challenges the majority in foreign countries. The club has recently expanded to involve young people in the Silloth area and this year has a second base in Solway School. We have maintained and developed our links with local training providers such as CycleWise who provide the Level III Bikability training for members, and professional bodies such as British Cycling. Our ambition has not ended and we now aim to develop the club in three directions: 1. To take our largest group ever on an International Multi-day Cultural cycling Challenge this summer in Italy cycling over 250 miles from The Leaning Tower of Pisa to the Coliseum in Rome. The expectation is that there will be over 50 cyclists in the team! 2. To develop the ethos of cycling in the wider community by establishing the local school as a base for club rides during the summer. We will offer secure parking, refreshments, supplements, changing and wash/shower facilities to clubs who in return will offer coaching and development to young people (club members) in the area. 3. To develop a mountain bike skills track in Aspatria to enable members to develop and practice skills prior to taking part in weekend mountain bike trips or regional competitions. This will vastly increase their ability to engage in these activities. The trails will also further attract clubs to the area, strengthening the Hub of Cycling ethos we aim to embed. Training every week is tough but it s worth it in the end!
Aspatria Town Council is very interested in your plans and endorses your proposals one hundred per cent. Please keep us up to date as things develop and we hope everything comes to fruition. Barry Chambers Mayor of Aspatria
Shirt Sponsorship 2018 Company Logo printed on team jerseys in position of your choice. Jerseys worn on training rides in local area, full day practice rides and throughout the international challenge. Publicity photographs taken at iconic points during challenge including the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Coliseum in Rome shared with local press, cycling publications and with sponsoring businesses. Please contact dgee@beaconhill.cumbria.sch.uk if you are interested in being a sponsor.
Potential Support BECBC Members Pisa to Rome Cycle Challenge 1. Large Mercedez Sprinter van or similar Vehicle will be driven by experienced driver who has driven similar vehicle whilst towing a trailer on Bike Club challenges in the past. If possible if vehicle has European breakdown / insurance cover. Vehicle will feature in publicity material with company logo visible on vehicle. 2. People carrier hire car whilst in Italy (additional support) 3. Donations / sponsors onto our fuel card 4. Ferry booking for vehicle company transport account 5. Airline account or sponsorship (probably Ryanair currently around 170 MAN>PISA, ROME>MAN) Mountain Bike Trails Specifics not fully identified but will include:- 6. Large rock / boulders 7. Wood for both platforms and trail banking 8. Drainage tubing 9. Concrete 10. Plant Hire / operation 11. Crusher run etc. 12. Security fencing Please see images below and get in contact should you be able to support. Trail will be around 1 mile in total and project to be delivered in conjunction with Lakes College Level 3 Apprentices.