Wheels for All Bring Inclusive Cycling to Kendal Cycling Festival

A cycling festival?

Wellbeing Westmorland CIC, in collaboration with Kendal Cycle Club, Wheelbase and Wheels for All, organised Kendal’s first cycling festival on 30th April and 1st May 2023. The key aims of the festival, hopefully the first of many, were to raise the uptake of sport in the local community and encourage more people to embrace cycling as a fun, healthy and planet-friendly form of physical activity. By showcasing the various forms of cycling and providing opportunities for individuals to try different cycles and participate in social rides, the festival was designed to inspire and engage people of all ages and abilities.

By bringing together local organisations, such as Kendal Cycling Club and Kendal BID (Business Improvement District), the festival aimed to foster a supportive cycling community and encourage the development of cycling infrastructure within the town.

What events took place?

Kendal Cycling Festival celebrated the diverse world of cycling by offering participants a range of activities, including rides around a pump track and the opportunity to try adapted cycles on closed roads. Exciting films were showcased, and music reverberated through the festival grounds, courtesy of a bike generator powered by seven bikes! Guest speakers gave inspirational talks on touring, adventure riding, and cyclist Jenny Graham talked about her record-breaking unsupported cycle ride around the world.

Cycling with Jenny

The festival kicked off with a burst of energy as Jenny joined a social community bike ride, organised by Kendal Cycle Club, from Kendal Leisure Centre to Staveley. Wheels for All riders eagerly accompanied Jenny for the first few miles along the scenic cycle path, providing a wonderful opportunity for participants to join a larger group for a social ride on our adapted cycles. Despite the damp weather conditions, spirits remained high as participants pedalled together.

The mayor arrives in style!

Back in Kendal, Mayor Doug Rathbone made a memorable entrance to officially inaugurate the festival. Arriving on a side-by-side trike alongside Stuart Lockton, the festival organiser, the mayor’s choice of transport aptly embodied the event’s theme of “a cycle for everyone”.

How Wheels for All were involved

Throughout the two-day festival, Wheels for All had a prominent presence, showcasing our offerings at a promotional stand alongside Kendal Cycle Club in the bustling town centre marketplace. It was a wonderful opportunity for Wheels for All to raise awareness of inclusive cycling and provide festivalgoers with the chance to experience adapted cycles first-hand.

A gorgeous gift

The festival proved highly successful in attracting new participants and volunteers, with many individuals expressing interest in joining the Wheels for All community. One act of remarkable generosity came from a very kind-hearted gentleman who, after witnessing the benefits of the Tomcat Dragon recumbent cycle, offered to purchase a brand-new one for Wheels for All Kendal, expanding our accessible cycling opportunities. Thank you so much!

Bring on next year!

The success of the festival would not have been possible without the unwavering support of Wellbeing Westmorland and their dedicated supporters, Kendal BID, Kendal Town Council, and all the hardworking volunteers. With the overwhelming positive response received this year, we eagerly await next year’s event.

If you’d like to find out more about Wheels for All Kendal, please contact Chris Fisher on 07810 866231 or email chris.fisher@wheelsforall.org.uk.