Rutland County Council is holding another round of free events aimed at helping residents of all ages to cycle more, as part of its Get Rutland Cycling initiative.

The scheme covers a variety of both adult and children's opportunities to get involved with cycling regardless of experience level. 

These include 'Back in the Saddle' which aims to provide sessions on improving people's confidence in riding a bike, and 'Bikeability' where you can learn the rules of the road and become more confident cycling on a public road through a Bikeability qualification. 

'Learn to ride' sessions for children are also being offered, with groups of up to 6 children able to learn the basics of bike riding in these two-hour group workshops.   

Trade in days are being offered where bikes that are no longer being used can be donated and repurposed for other families. Re-conditioned bikes are also being offered to any residents who may need a new one to get up and cycling again this summer.

Residents can also sign up to the "MyBike" Scheme which aims to provide reconditioned second-hand bikes free of charge to any family who may need help in accessing a bike of their own.

Councillor Christine Wise, Portfolio Holder for Transport, Environment and Communities, said: "We're really pleased to be holding more events as part of our Get Rutland Cycling programme. Earlier events have proven to be popular – particularly those aimed at helping children to ride safely. Cycling is great for people's health but it's also a cheaper and greener way to travel for school and work, if distances allow.

"Rutland County Council has secured funding to help us design more routes for walking and cycling around the County, while Get Rutland Cycling is giving adults and children the skills, confidence and means to bike more and drive less. This is key to our plans for a greener, more sustainable Rutland, so we're excited to see everything coming together." 

Rutland County Council cycle instructors will be present throughout these events for any advice and information on cycling that the public may have. The campaign launched on 30 March with a bike donation event at Uppingham C of E Primary School and there are further events taking place across May, June and July. 

Upcoming events in May will take place on:

Saturday 25 May - Donations

Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 May - Bikeability Level 1 /2 Adults & Teens

Tuesday 28 May - Trade Up & Ride Away

Wednesday 29 May - Bikeability Level 3 Year 5 /6 Children

Thursday 30 May - Learn to Ride (Group Session)

Further information such as prices, further dates and booking information on all events and My Bike can be found on the Active Rutland website.

Any questions or queries on the scheme are welcome to the [email protected] email.