PRIMARY school children in Swindon will continue to benefit from a cycle training programme thanks to funding of more than £150,000 from the Department for Transport (DfT).

Swindon Borough Council has been awarded £154,695 by the DfT to extend its Bikeability programme in primary schools across the borough over the next four years.

Bikeability is a cycle training programme, which aims to teach children practical skills and provide understanding of how to cycle on today’s roads.

The programme is targeted at Year 6 pupils and gives those that take part the skills and confidence for all kinds of cycling.

There are three Bikeability levels, each designed to improve cycling skills, no matter what skills have already been acquired. Levels 1, 2 and 3 take trainees from the basics of balance and control, all the way to planning and making an independent journey on busier roads.

The Council has been able to provide Bikeability training to more than 4,300 pupils over the last four years. Bikeability-trained cyclists receive a badge and a certificate in recognition of the level they’ve achieved. The certificate also includes areas for further practice noted by the instructor.

Some of the funding allocated to the Council will be used to train staff as National Standard Instructors, to support school staff or volunteers to access training so they can deliver Bikeability programmes within school for their own pupils.

The Council is also looking to introduce Bikeability Balance for younger children to introduce them to cycling and help them develop basic skills ahead of receiving Bikeability training when they are older.

Cllr Dale Heenan, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Sustainability, Highways, and Transport, said: “Cycling and swimming are two important life skills which every child should learn at an early stage. I remember learning to cycle in Year 6 on an RAF base in Germany through a scheme like Bikeability, but this initiative is much better.

“It’s about gaining practical skills and an understanding of how to cycle on today’s roads so that children have the skills and confidence to cycle. With this government funding, I hope Swindon Borough Council can encourage thousands more children to learn to ride bicycles safely for everyday journeys and during leisure time and who knows, maybe we can find England’s next Bradley Wiggins or Chris Boardman.”