Posted: 25 July, 2023
Hip hip hooray for another fantastic event, an Open Day at our Wheels for All Gloucestershire hub.
Over one hundred local people attended the Open Day at Blackbridge Athletics Track in Podsmead, Gloucester. The Wheels for All sessions here are hugely popular and always very well attended.
Our Gloucestershire Co-ordinator, Paul Shaftoe, said “I am absolutely delighted at how well the event went. It was great to have so many people enjoying themselves, and new faces coming along to see what we do.”
“An Open Day like this clearly demonstrates just how much demand there is in our community for the service we provide, helping folk who need a little extra assistance to be able to get their weekly dose of physical exercise.”
The Wheels for All volunteers were able to provide carers with some respite during the day by regularly piloting platform bikes – which allow wheelchairs to be ridden around the track – and had people trying out some of the side-by-side and three-wheeled tandems for those who need extra leg-powered assistance.
Attendees enjoyed freshly brewed coffee from Carle’s Cafe and the ice cream van did a brisk trade. The Podsmead CPSO was also there, promoting their ongoing service for tagging bikes, which helps the Gloucestershire police force return stolen items.
The most popular stand was definitely that of the award-winning Brockworth-based Tomcat. Tomcat have been designing and manufacturing trikes since 1998, to enable people with learning or sensory impairments to cycle, and last year they won a very well-deserved Queen’s Award for Innovation.
The local Wheels for All team are doing lots of fundraising to buy a Tomcat electric trike in direct response to requests from both local cancer charities and stroke survivors to aid rehab and recovery.
In order to provide more sessions and help more people to enjoy cycling and its many benefits, Paul is keen to recruit more volunteers.
“We really do have something for everyone when it comes to volunteering. Whether people can give a whole afternoon on a regular basis or just a couple of hours a month, we have all kinds of roles for all kinds of personalities.
“Sometimes people like to ‘start small’, but they soon get the bug and get so much out of volunteering that they want to do more. I would suggest getting in touch and coming along to a session to see what it’s all about – the laughter and the smiles on the participant’s faces are incredibly infectious.”
