Accessible cycling events
Activation of active travel project specification
Project Brief - Context
Lancashire County Council has been awarded funding to improve walking and cycling facilities and to boost active travel uptake.
The Activation programme is taking place across multiple local authorities in Lancashire. It aims to put in place soft measures to support and encourage residents to change their behaviour and use existing active travel infrastructure.
The Activation programme will support Preston in achieving its priorities by helping residents, particularly underrepresented groups, to access active travel.
The programme also advances the Council's Community Wealth Building agenda by enabling collaborative work with local partners to empower residents to use local assets for social and environmental benefit.
Preston has a range of existing active travel resources and infrastructure such as Avenham Park, Moor Park and The Guild Wheel.
Further active travel developments and public realm improvements are also ongoing, funded by national schemes such as the Levelling Up Fund and the Towns Fund.
The Activation programme will encourage behaviour change and modal shift of residents so that the usage of these facilities is increased, and more short journeys are completed on foot or by bike rather than by car.
The programme comprises of three projects:
- Supporting cycle commuting project
- Accessible cycling events project
- Widening participation in walking project
Together, these projects will build the confidence and skills of residents in the city to support them in taking part in active travel. They will particularly target underrepresented and vulnerable groups such as ethnic minority communities, those living in socio-economically deprived communities, and those with a disability or long-term health condition.
Programme Outline
The 'Accessible cycling events' project aims to increase the accessibility of cycling for those with a disability or long-term health condition.
The project will involve the organisation and hosting of a range of free of charge, accessible rides using existing cycling infrastructure in Preston. These events should take place in different areas of the city to allow all residents to take part. Adapted cycles and safety equipment should be available free of charge as part of these rides so that anyone can attend.
A minimum of 10 accessible rides should take place, with a minimum of 50 Preston residents taking part. Marketing and awareness raising should take place in a variety of forms such as online, and engagement with community groups and schools. This will ensure that there is good uptake within the local community.
The appointed organisation must have the relevant policies and procedures in place to run these events such as DBS checks, safeguarding procedures, data protection policies, and relevant insurance.
Financial Profile
A total of £10,000 of grant funding is available for this project.
Outputs
Output | Target | |
|---|---|---|
Hosting accessible led rides for local residents. | Minimum of 10 accessible led rides across various locations in the city to support a minimum of 50 residents. | |
Project Timeline
| Deadline for receipt of applications | 18 November 2024 |
| Notification of application outcomes | Week commencing 2 December 2024 |
| Issuing of grant agreements | Week commencing 16 December 2024 |
| Project delivery commences | 5 February 2025 |
| Project delivery ends | 6 February 2026 |
| Final project report | By 28 February 2026 |
Project Milestones
| Milestone | date |
|---|---|
| Clear project plan developed and approved by Preston City Council | 3 March 2025 |
| Project marketing materials have been distributed in the community. | 4 April 2025 |
| A minimum of 5 accessible rides have taken place with at least 25 total attendances | 1 August 2025 |
| A minimum of 10 accessible rides have taken place with at least 50 total attendances | 17 October 2025 |
| All planned project activities have been delivered | 6 February 2026 |
| A short project evaluation including data on attendance, impact and lessons learned is submitted to Preston City Council | 28 February 2026 |
How to apply
To apply for the Activation of Active Travel Commissioning Fund - Accessible cycling events, please complete our online form.
Apply for the Activation of Active Travel Commissioning Fund - Accessible cycling events
If you wish to apply for more than one of the grants, a separate application form will need to be completed for each project.
Please note that there is no 'save' function on the online application form, so this needs to be completed and submitted in one go.
We recommend that applicants download the PDF version of the application form. (PDF) [187KB] and formulate their responses before completing the online form.
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