Lucy – A volunteer profile

Lucy Gelder, 45, started volunteering at Sheffield Cycling 4 All (SC4A) in April 2025.  

She was born in Salford, Manchester – “so not technically Yorkshire, but I moved here when I was two.” She grew up in Penistone.  

“My main focus for the last 17 years has been being a mum, but before that I was quite clever, went to uni… I’m probably still quite clever if I had the time!” she laughs.  

She’s definitely underselling herself: an undergrad in Maths, an MSc in Statistics, a PhD in facial identification, plus four kids aged 17, 15, 11 and 6.  

During her PhD she got pregnant, “so I was looking for a different kind of job because I had a baby,” and moved into healthcare statistics, working for the Trent Cancer Registry and then Edith Cowan University, Perth WA. She now does stats consulting at the university of Sheffield. 

“I do like cycling. I have to go slowly because I’ve got small kids with me, but I used to do more. My hobbies are gardening, cooking, eating, running, climbing big hills… that’s about it really!” 

Living in Hillsborough, she’d seen the SC4A cyclists in the park for years. When her dad Chris was diagnosed with brain cancer, she hoped to bring him for a ride, but he didn’t live in Sheffield and it never happened.  

Chris stayed with Lucy twice during his illness – once during Tramlines and once when it “pissed it down all week.” He loved cycling and would have loved SC4A. When Lucy was a kid they’d cycle to a pub for crisps and lemonade, and he was still going on cycling holidays right up until he became unwell. His Facebook is basically all bikes and big rides.  

He’d just come back from a 300-mile trip in Roscoff with a mate when he had a seizure the day after, in April 2022.  

“I never got the chance to do it with my dad, but I can share the joy of cycling here with people like him.”  

Chris Morecroft died in April 2024, aged 73. He’d said that if he never cycled again, his last trip in France had been the perfect one.  

“I feel like I’m getting as much as I’m giving at SC4A. I’m meeting new people, it’s totally different to my day job. I usually just sit at a computer and think about things – this is physical, social, a nice mix.”  

Lucy hopes to do more cycling outside SC4A as the kids get older. Right now she ends up carrying their bikes halfway home, so bringing her own is tricky. Her youngest (6) recently managed 2.6 miles on the Forge Valley track, so big rides aren’t far off.  

“Volunteering at SC4A is perfect for a part-time working parent. It fits around school drop-off and pick-up, you don’t have to be super fit (but you will get fitter), and you’ll make new friends who are all really cool. It’s a nice way to get a different perspective on life.”  

Thanks Lucy — it’s a pleasure spending time with you too.