Angus Cycle Hub has landed a £70,000 grant to boost their efforts to get more people on to two wheels.
The money will help deliver a full-time cycling development officer for the area, as well as a part time community mechanic and the hub is driving forward with an innovative partnership project to recycle old bikes back into the community.
The windfall has come from the NHS Community Innovation Fund and follows a £15,000 boost earlier this year from social enterprise support agency Firstport.
Scott Francis of Angus Cycle Hub said: “This is a massive coup for the Hub and Angus. The money will be used to run initiatives to get more people cycling.
“We have been battling for a number of years to try and kick start cycling infrastructure for the region and the money will make a positive difference to people’s lives, allowing us to promote cycling as an affordable means of sustainable transport which has proven health benefits.”
All funds will be used to help provide opportunities within the local community to people who previously couldn’t access cycling.
Scott added: “As part of the funding programme the Hub will be jointly working with Angus Council and Voluntary Action Angus to help develop a bike recycling scheme for the region, which will recondition unwanted and unloved bikes and help re-distribute them back into the community.“
Bikes can be donated to the project by handing them in to Voluntary Action Angus offices in Arbroath and Forfar or can be collected be telephoning Angus Cycle Hub on 01241 890722 or emailing info@anguscyclehub.co.uk
NHS community capacity building officer Richard McIntosh said: “The NHS Tayside Community Innovation Award will play a vital role in supporting the Angus Cycle Hub, the fund plays a vital role in supporting local people to make positive changes to help them improve their health and well-being.
“NHS Tayside look forward to seeing their application come to life.”
Scott said the Cycle Hub will focus initially on Arbroath and Forfar, to support increased participation in cycling among all ages, with a focus on harder to reach groups.
Last year the Hub staged the inaugural Angus Cycling Festival and plans to build on the success of the event in the two-day 2015 programme planned for Forfar’s Reid Park.
Scott added: “The priorities of the group have been developed through collaboration and initiatives across Angus over recent years, as well as through learning from other areas.
“It provides a means of maximising existing small scale projects running in Angus and maximising the potential of volunteering within cycling.”