Whether your employees are open to the idea of cycling or already travel to work by bike, or if they want to do more walking as part of their daily commute, the Active Travel team offer a range of free initiatives to help you encourage them.
These range from cycle training and confidence boosting sessions, maintenance classes and bike security advice, cycling events throughout the summer as well as led rides to help them explore Leicester and beyond.
We also offer led walks – ideal for a lunchtime or after-work social activity – covering a wide range of themes such as Street Art in the City and Leicester’s Wildlife.
Learn to Ride and Boost Your Confidence
We’ve found that many people never had the opportunity to learn to ride a bike when they were younger and feel they’re now too old – or too nervous – to start. Others learned as children but haven’t been on a bike for years and have lost the confidence to get back in the saddle.
To help overcome these barriers, Learn to Ride and Joy Ride sessions take place every Monday evening from May to the end of August, between 6pm and 8pm, at the Leicester Cycle Circuit.
Led by qualified instructors, each session is tailored to the individual’s experience, helping your staff develop the skills and confidence to cycle for everyday journeys, including commuting to work.
Park & Cycle
For employees who live a long way outside the city and need to drive, but want to remain active, Park and Cycle is a great (and free) solution.
They simply have to leave their car at one of Leicester’s three Park & Ride sites at Birstall, Enderby and Meynell’s Gorse and cycle the final part of their journey.
Using safe, convenient, purpose-built cycle routes, it’s an easy way to avoid city centre traffic, reduce parking costs and arrive at work feeling awake and refreshed!
And, if it’s raining, there is always the dry and reliable shuttle buses to fall back on…
Bike Maintenance and Security
The Active Travel Team regularly runs free Bike Maintenance & Security events, combining ‘Dr Bike’ safety checks with bike marking by Leicestershire Police. Staff can have their bike checked by a qualified mechanic, receive practical maintenance and security advice, then have it officially marked and registered on the national BikeRegister database to help protect it against theft.
Many events also include exclusive incentives for employees, so be sure to keep your company’s intranet or staff noticeboards updated to pass on the details.
We can also bring Dr Bike directly to your workplace. These bespoke sessions are a great staff benefit, helping more people cycle with confidence while promoting active travel. They may also be eligible for funding through the £300 Cycle Challenge Grant.
Inclusive Cycling (Wheels For All)
We believe that cycling should be accessible to everyone, so our inclusive cycling sessions give people of all ages and abilities the opportunity to enjoy cycling in a safe, welcoming environment using a range of adapted cycles.
These include a selection of tricycles, recumbent bikes, handcycles, tandems and wheelchair-accessible cycles suitable for those with physical disabilities or reduced mobility, people recovering from illness or injury and anyone who lacks confidence riding a conventional bicycle.
Guided walks
With the assistance of our enthusiastic volunteers, the Active Travel team offer a wide range of guided walks throughout the year.
These vary in distance, duration and destination, but all are carefully designed to take into account the age, ability and interests of all members of the group. This is an ideal way for staff to get together in an informal way to either mull over hot office topics, or completely unwind, forget about work and get to know their colleagues in a totally relaxed setting.
Whilst a full list of planned led walks are available each month on the Choose How You Move website, we would be delighted to discuss bespoke itineraries exclusively for your team – be it at lunchtime or after work.