Access Bike December 2022 newsletter
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The workshop space has been a little transformed in that time. It's absolutely full of bikes and parts of bikes at the moment... and we also have a lovely door out to the garden/river where there used to only be a window.
We've achieved so much since we've been based at the Mill but there's so much to tell you about just from the last few months (and what's coming up) that we'll stick to that!
- Monthly market ride this Saturday December 3rd!
- Christmas party Tues 20th December
- Stroud District Council looking for a Bicycle Mayor for Stroud
- Weekly women-only sessions, and other opening hours
- 100 Women in Cycling
- Update on our work with Gloucestershire Community Rail Partnership and our crowdfunder
- Bikes for sale / donate your old bikes!
- Warm Space at Fromehall Mill
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Remember, remember it's the monthly family cycle ride this Saturday 5th November!
As it's firework night, please dress in bright clothes or bring extra lights!
Every first Saturday of the month there's a family cycle ride from Brimscombe to Stroud Farmers Market. Riders meet from 10am in Brimcombe Mills (home of The Long Table, Stroud District Kids' Stuff and Stroud District and Cirencester Furniture Bank). You can grab a free tea/coffee or children's drink thanks to The Bike Drop (who are also based on the site), before riding out at 10.30am. We ride as a group, with music from a loudspeaker, along the A419 into town, taking the lane and forming a block around young riders.
The idea is to have a monthly celebration of cycling, bring cyclists together, and push for better cycling infrastructure. There's always a few cargo and/or electric bikes, so between 10am and 10.30am there's a chance to ask other riders about their bikes - and maybe even try something out.
James from Access Bike will be there - will you?
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Christmas Party - Tuesday 20th December, 3-6pm
On Tuesday 20th December we will have a Christmas party, at Fromehall Mill from 3-6pm. If you've not been along before, find us using the map and directions on our website.
We'll have some festive food and drink, mini bike races, and other bike games - and lots of time for bike chat.
We will be closed over the New Year until Tuesday 10th January when we will be open from 2-6pm for booked sessions only. To book a space please email accessbike@cscic.org or message us on Instagram or Facebook Messenger. |
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Ccould you be the first Bicycle Mayor for Stroud district?
Stroud District Council is joining a global network - BYCS can accelerate change by uniting all citizens to take action. They bring creative diversity with new insights and approaches, from both inside and beyond the world of bicycle planning professionals or the political establishment.
Connecting these changemakers across a global network can create a truly radical shift.
Applications close January 23, 2023.
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Women only sessions are now regular weekly sessions,
We have 3 women-only sessions before our year ends: 5th, 12th and 19th December. We will be issuing new dates in the new year too, but would love to fill these sessions.
Women only workshop sessions with Freya and Naomi at Access Bike need to be booked via https://bookwhen.com/accessbike
These involve a relaxed and supportive space where you can:
* Bring your bike for a check-up
* Fix minor problems with support
* Learn some basic bike maintenance
There will be a maximum of six people in the workshop at any time.
Please book both a 2 till 4pm and a 4pm till 6pm session if you would like to spend 4 hours in the workshop. And please book whichever 2 hour slot is most appropriate even if you'd only like to be in the workshop for an hour, ie, book a 2-4pm slot for either 2-3pm or 3-4pm or something similar, and book at 4-6pm slot for something like 4.30-5.30pm. You can add a note to explain when you'll arrive when booking.
Free to attend - donations are welcome if you can afford it. We can accept card or cash payments.
These sessions are not only cis women, but also trans women and femme/feminine-identifying genderqueer and non-binary people. The aim is to provide a space for anyone who wants to work on bikes in a space that is not defined by patriarchy and men.
If you have any questions, please email accessbike@cscic.org.
If you are unable to attend, or need help finding the workshop, please call 07482 104038.
We also have booked sessions for 13-25 year olds of all genders on Tuesdays from 2-6pm.
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Local women recognised in 100 women in cycling
Charlotte's Tandems is a great organisation based, like us, in Stroud district. Earlier this year we helped fix up a Thorn tandem for them - president of the charity Charlotte has been named in Cycling UK's #100WomenInCycling - check it out!
As Cycling UK said: " Charlotte is president of the charity Charlotte's Tandems, which lends tandems and tag-alongs to those with a disability or additional need, so they too can experience the joy of cycling.
Although she has severe learning difficulties, and is autistic and non-verbal, Charlotte loves to be active and enjoys tandem-riding with her parents. She especially enjoys riding fast down steep slopes!
Cheltenham's Bicycle Mayor Bex Mountford is also on We Are Cycling's 100 Women in Cycling 2022 list.
Her passion for cycling, building a life around her cargo bike with tips, accessories, T-shirts, hats and stickers as well as crowdsourcing good practice and useful information has been hugely influential on the cyclists and cargo-bikers across the District."
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Updates on our work with GARAS, funded by Gloucestershire Community Rail Partnership
We've started our sessions for young people from Gloucester - beginning by working with 7 young people being supported by Gloucestershire Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers (GARAS).
We have fixed up bikes with each of these young people for them to take away, and have also provided them with helmets, lights, locks and a multitool - these things together with rail travel from Gloucester have all been funded by Gloucestershire Community Rail Partnership (in total the project will cover 24 young people from Gloucester - including care leavers and people not in education, training or employmnet as well as those being supported by GARAS. The idea is to support people who do not use trains to build their confidence doing so, and to develop two cycle routes from Stroud train station with the help of young people - we will then produce route maps for these, together with a feasibility study on using a disused room at Stroud Train Station as a cycle hub,
Separately, we are crowdfunding to support another 50 young people being supported by GARAS with lights, locks and helmets - and have raised £2,871 of our £5,000 target.
Please keep telling people about our crowdfunder so we can raise the full amount and fund 50 sets and 10 bikes too! You can read more about the camp at the link.
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We've sold some more efurbished bikes lately - it's always a delight.
Here's Chris with Woodland Charm - that's the name of the bike not the background here at Fromehall Mill!
His daughter Annabel tried the bike at the October half-term Cycling Session we ran at Archway School with Atlas Games, as she'd outgrown her own bike.
If your child is looking for a bike like this we happen to have one almost exactly the same - as well as various other kids bikes of different sizes. Message us or email accessbike@cscic.org if you'd like to find out more about picking up a pre-loved bike from us, or have a bike you'd like to donate.
If you're looking for a second-hand bike, email accessbike@cscic.org or message us on Instagram or Facebook Messenger.
If you've a bike to donate, we're not going to be ready to accept many donations till the New Year - but please send a picture in the meantime by email and we'll let you know if its something we can do something with - and how to get it to us. Please don't just dump bikes outside.
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We have a Warm Space at the space above Access Bike, also managed by Creative Sustainability, held every Friday from 10am - 2pm.
We cook a hot meal and eat together and you can come to get help with digital and online and access our Wifi for free.
You can also come along just to hang out somewhere warm - we have art supplies and comfy sofas.
Contact tosca@cscic.org if you want some more information or would like some cost of living help.
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Thanks for reading this far. We'd love it if you could share our news with your friends, colleagues, neighbours and any other fellow cyclists!
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