I was born in the Netherlands, moved to the UK aged 4 and grew up in Hertfordshire and moved to Sheffield for university, where I studied languages.  

I heard about Sheffield Cycling 4 All (SC4A) from a friend who was cycling there. 

I wanted to get work experience after university. I was doing lots of volunteering on different days of the week, and this was one of them. 

I tutored in Maths GCSE, was training in English as a second language, and volunteering in a Food waste shop. 

Started about aged 25 and volunteered a couple of years. I started helping putting trikes away then cycling with people. When Covid hit I did paperwork and admin for SC4A from home. 

I was supported in my roles at SC4A. I was given the chance to do a range of different tasks, from cycle maintenance, to setting up the base, supporting people to cycle and data entry. 

Formal training courses I did included Bike maintenance training and Dementia awareness training. 

It gave me confidence in getting a paid role in the same sector. 

I am now a support/project worker at Burton Street. [Burton Street Foundation is a Learning Disability Day service which has other services as well] 

I help to run various sessions for adults with physical and learning difficulties to boost their self-confidence and knowledge. 

Transferable skills from being a volunteer at SC4A include working with a variety of different people, adapting to them, having good communication skills, good hygiene practices skills, as well as running sessions as part of a team successfully, using my emotional intelligence and problem solving. 

Benefits from volunteering at SC4A have included Mental well-being and having a sense of purpose, the chance to have a routine as well as work experience and building confidence. 

I don’t currently cycle, the habit is gone, but I plan to. 

Please give other volunteers the chance I had.  

22/03/23 

Jules first came to visit Sheffield Cycling 4 All in April 2017 after an old friend, Caroline, suggested he come down to Hillsborough for a ride following an accident which resulted in multiple Disabilities.  

He soon signed up as a volunteer, helping to set up sessions and fit people with trikes, cycling with people and spreading the word about the group. He saw SC4A as a community which he was proud to be a part of. He was a great advocate for cycling and for the benefits that it brings. He once said,    

“Money can’t buy the wellbeing that I get out of this.” 

Jules always had time for everyone he met, and his warmth and kindness helped to make people feel welcome when they came cycling. He was always willing to do whatever needed doing in order to help out at cycling sessions and was incredibly enthusiastic about volunteering, 

“As soon as I came down I was hooked, absolutely – I said this is amazing, and I still feel the same now – It’s so rewarding just being down there”. 

“When I first came down to Sheffield Cycling 4 All I just immediately felt a sense of happiness and freedom – it was just so good for me and then actually being asked to volunteer was just incredible – once I started doing that it filled a gap in my life that i didn’t know was there”. 

“Because of my accident I owe the NHS so much and doing this for Disability Sheffield, it just makes total sense to me – it’s really, really helped my wellbeing coming down here”. 

When asked whether his involvement with Sheffield Cycling 4 All had increased his circle of friends, Jules said, 

“I’ve made new friends since being here, without a shadow of a doubt – it’s like a community – we’re all here for the same thing, that’s socialising, to get some exercise, and just to laugh and have fun” 

“It’s part of my social life I would say – it’s so nice making people smile – we’re all in it for the same thing and it’s such a good cause – It’s saved my life, it’s given me a purpose in life, and that’s quite a big deal. Everybody gets involved – it is like a big happy family who are out there for each other and to have a good time”. 

Caroline said “I have known Julius since he was 14, and when I spoke to him after his accident, I could tell he was in a rutt, the same as I had been, after my Brain injury. And am so very happy he came to try out Sheffield Cycling 4 All. He loved the people, and he often repeated, cycles are for hire. But love comes free“.

Sadly, Jules passed away in December 2022. We will miss his enthusiasm, his lovely smile, and his wicked sense of humour! 

‘Since I have been coming, I now have the confidence to travel independently on my own, I have been to Sheffield town centre and London.’ 

Adrienne has been cycling with Sheffield Cycling 4 All (SC4A) since the end of April 2022, when we started our Brain injury cycling group, and has been coming weekly whenever she can. 14 times and counting. This group is part of our four ‘Condition specific cycling groups’ which are Visual impairment, Mental wellbeing, Brain injury, and Strokes. We started them in response to the fact that some people don’t identify as Disabled so didn’t feel that the pan-disability cycling sessions were for them. All of these sessions are at Hillsborough Park, Sheffield. 

Adrienne, aged 77, was born in Staffordshire and brought up in Devon. She moved around a lot for work and in 2005 moved to Sheffield. Adrienne enjoys the theatre and reading (currently reading an historical fiction about Jews in the second world war). She is also finishing off a jumper for her grandson (aged 2). 

‘I had a bleed on the brain in April 2015 and then got meningitis. It affected my memory, coordination, verbal skills, mood and resulted in neurological fatigue. 

I had a course of treatment in 2016 with Sheffield Community Brain Injury Rehabilitation Team (SCBIRT). It helped, and it put me back on a course of coping. 

During the COVID lockdowns, I became deeply depressed, anxious and lost muscle strength and confidence from not going out. 

After another course of treatment at SCBIRT the physio recommended cycling to build up my leg muscles again, which is how I heard about SC4A.’ 

 
Apart from cycling and exercising at home, Adrienne doesn’t do a lot of physical activities, and finds walking slow but this is improving and her ability to walk longer distances is improving. 

At SC4A cycling sessions Adrienne talks to the volunteers, other cyclists, and members of the public in the park. ‘I said hello to a man and his wife today and had a couple of minutes’ chat. It’s because I was on a trike and it’s a friendly park. People are interested in trikes’. Outside of cycling Adrienne will have 3 or 4 conversations a week with people.  

‘These sessions are definitely right for me because it gets me out. It helps me keep my muscles in trim. It gives me a reason to keep going. Specific session times motivate me to leave the house‘. 

If we weren’t running the Condition specific cycling group Adrienne said she would still come because the staff and volunteers are always welcoming. ‘It doesn’t make a difference which session I go to, but it is good to have a regular time to come’.  

 
Adrienne said that there had definitely been benefits from cycling, ‘It gives me a reason to come out. I wouldn’t come to the park otherwise. Regular cycling is good for my legs, and I can now go up to 4th gear*. And a chance to interact with people. I see a lot of people throughout the week but no proper interaction.’ 

‘Since I have been coming, I now have the confidence to travel independently I have been to Sheffield town centre and London. 

I discovered it wasn’t scary going out in the world after lockdown. I re-learnt I can still do things.’ 

This year Adrienne went on a cruise with her son to Norwegian Fjords and is already looking forward to planning another soon.  We spent an hour in the sun looking through her photos before cycling. It looked amazing. 

National Lottery Community Fund outcomes – 

• Have you been moving easily and feeling healthy? – Yes 
• Have you been able to cycle for long periods of time? – Yes 
• Have you been actively engaged with the SC4A community? – Yes 
• Have you felt more confident and good about yourself? – Yes 
• From talking to others at cycling, have you heard about services that you can access? – No 
• Have you been getting to know new people here? – Yes 

Nicky is 56 and has been cycling with the Visually Impaired Pedallers (VIPs) run by Sheffield Cycling 4 All (SC4A) 34 times and counting. Nicky identifies as a Disabled person with long-term health condition. ‘I am visually impaired from birth and am hard of hearing. My hearing loss started about 20 years ago’. 

Born and bred in Sheffield she lives with her husband Frank, and volunteers at Sheffield Royal Society for the Blind (SRSB) as a phone befriender.  Nicky enjoys reading, cycling, horse riding, walking, swimming, and baseball. She reads all sorts, crime (as long as it turns out nice in the end), science fiction and true stories. 

‘I love physical activity, 10 years ago I weighed 12 stone, and I am determined not to put that weight back on’. 

Nicky heard about SC4A through SRSB. 6 years before that Frank had found SC4A on the internet. ‘You [SC4A] had one tandem which was fine, but we both had guide dogs and weren’t sure if they would get looked after.’  

When SRSB approached SC4A to see if they could come cycling they offered transport from their Mappin Street centre, arranged additional staff to look after dogs, and provided extra riders, so it became easier for Nicky and others to come cycling without worry.  SC4A has now taken over this role and has a minimum of two people available to support any Visually Impaired riders that come. 

‘I started on the Green speed trike (above) because I like the way it steers and that I don’t have to look over the handlebars, and as it is low to the ground I can see the floor. I can’t ride an Easyrider, the handlebars are too ‘up’. Trial and error, I tried all the trikes and settled on the Green speed.  When I am on a Green speed I cycle with my friend Gloria, following her as she has better eyesight, but my preference is a tandem’. 

‘Because of riding on the tandem here, it made me think how can I use it to do other things, so I decided on a triathlon!  When I met Annette [Activities Coordinator at SRSB, pictured above with Nicky], I said I want to do a triathlon, and she said ‘we can do that’. 

Annette said, ‘The can-do attitude at SC4A is great, and fits so well with the SRSB ethos of helping visually impaired people to achieve more than they think is possible.  Guiding Nicky through her first triathlon was a great experience, and SC4A gave me the confidence to pilot a tandem safely for her.  Our next ambition is to get out of the park on the tandems and ride with a group on more adventurous rides.’ 

Nicky: ‘I’d like to join another cycling group, so I can do more riding on a tandem. I feel like everyone else that goes cycling. Like running, I can do it, I am just like everyone else. I am not looked at differently. I don’t need to be able to see, we can go as fast as we want, and I like going fast.’ 

When asked if the VIPs sessions were right for Nicky she said ‘Yes because it’s the only time I can get on a tandem and ride. Exercise is very important to me, and being with people.  I talk to everyone [at the cycling sessions], it’s just one of the things I like about cycling.  It’s one of the reasons I like coming, I get to talk to various people.’ The park is also great place to cycle daytime on a weekday because it is quiet so we are not too worried about hitting things. Nicky would come to any of our pan-disability sessions as long as there are tandems! 

‘I feel fitter than I was, don’t get out of breath when I walk, and my legs getting thinner’ 

Nicky would like a tandem group for the visually impaired, so could go further afield. We are working on it! 

We first met Julian (Jim) McVittie, aged 63, at the beginning of 2021 when he enquired about our trike loan scheme. 

Born and raised in Sheffield, Jim has had numerous different jobs over the years, 

‘You name it and it’s probably been one of my trades, I’m 63 now and I’m still not too sure what I want to do!’ Amongst other things, Jim has been in the building trade, a driving instructor, and for the last 10 years, a self-employed chauffeur. 

When asked about his hobbies, Jim says that he took up bookbinding during the first lockdown which was fascinating and great fun, and… 

“Obviously cycling, which is your ‘fault’ because you got me back into it after 30-odd years of not being able to do it.” 

Over the years Jim has had many health issues, a lot to do with playing contact sports such as Rugby and Squash when he was younger, plus arthritis, which runs through his mother’s side of the family. He has had both knees replaced and says his spine is now in a bad condition. 

“I used to walk a lot, up and down the dales and the moors quite happily, but I haven’t been able to do that for a long time. When I was young (14 or 15) I used to cycle from Nether Edge to Froggatt Edge, I’d pick up a mate in Froggatt, we’d cycle to Little Longston and pick up another friend, and then we’d be out all day cycling around Derbyshire. We’d probably clock up 100 miles in a day not even thinking about it and then I’d cycle all the way back home. In those days we’d go out in the morning and as long as you got home by night-time and had tuppence for an emergency phone call, no one minded what you did. Then of course once I found motorbikes and then motorcars etc the bike went by the wayside, and I’ve not ridden a bike since then until last year.” 

“My balance is not great anymore, so a tricycle seemed a very good idea. I had already been looking at tricycles which is why it immediately caught my interest when the loan scheme came up on Facebook. So, I tried out the Van Raam [Easy Rider] and the rest is history.  It was just amazing, the ability for me to get to the Norfolk Arms from Bents Green where I live and then later, up to Burbage, it was brilliant, it was a revelation in many ways.” 

When asked about the benefits he has experienced since starting cycling again, Jim replied, 

“It’s got the knees working again, it’s strengthened my knee and leg muscles and the core muscles. Overall, it’s a good workout depending on how much effort you put in, but any effort, even a small amount, is better than no effort at all. And the more you do it the easier it becomes. The benefits physically are superb, but the benefits mentally are just getting out in the fresh air, it does you a world of good. There have been times when I’ve thought ‘I can’t be bothered’, but I have gone out and felt a lot better for it. It gets me out and about, and it gets me seeing places that I’ve not seen walking for a long time.  

Compared to when you’re driving, when your cycling, (particularly on the trike when you can slow down without worrying about falling off) you can look around.” 

After borrowing the loan trike for 3 months Jim had well and truly caught the cycling bug and it wasn’t long before he purchased his own Jorvick Mountain Trike. Asked about people’s reaction to seeing him on his trike, Jim said, 

“Adult tricycles are still a new concept to people. If I’m out people will often stop me and ask questions about the trike and kids tell me it’s cool, which I think means good! The more people that get involved at whatever level, the better it is. What you are doing by loaning out the trikes is great because that gets people initially started and of course, once I got started, I realised I couldn’t stop so I had to go and buy my own or I would have been back to square one.” 

When asked about recent memorable rides, Jim replied, 

“I did the virtual London Marathon on the trike. A friend of mine and his mate were doing it to raise money for support dogs in Sheffield. They wanted me to  

ride as a wingman, carrying bottles of water and bits and pieces. I did the whole 26 miles on the trike, all on one battery. It was good, and we raised £8000 so it was well worth doing.” 

Jim has lots of plans for the future, 

“I’m itching to get further afield; I want to be able to transport the trike out to Parsley Hay or the Tissington Trail or even further afield and that will happen because I’m in the process of changing my car so I can put a trike rack on it and then I can get out and go and explore the country.  

I’ve got a couple of Facebook groups that I’m a member of and next year I’m planning to go and meet up with some other members and go and cycle around their routes etc which should be fun.” 

As a result of his connection with SC4A, Jim will be training as a British Cycling ride leader in October and will become one of the first-ever trike cyclists to qualify as a ride leader.  He has been featured in several videos, one of which has over 12,000 views and a small community of appreciative people posting comments and questions. Jim hasn’t just rediscovered cycling (with all its benefits) he has embraced it and is sharing it far and wide! 

When asked what impact SC4A has had on him, Jim answered,  

“Yea, you’ve cost me £2500 to buy a flippin’ trike thank you very much!” 

For more information about our Trike loan scheme follow this link – https://www.sheffieldcycling4all.org/trike-loan/

Pamela, 59, was born & bred in Sheffield but has lived in Derbyshire, Eastbourne & Surrey before returning to & settling in Sheffield again.  

She is a Bible-believing Christian which makes a big impact on her life and interests. She is very involved in her local church and enjoys reading, writing, walking , and visiting historical places of interest.  

Growing up as the youngest in a large family, Pamela was always labeled as ‘the clumsy child’, she would have accidents virtually every day. It was not until she went to university as a mature student, that she was diagnosed with Dyspraxia & Dyslexia, and she realised why she had never felt confident or enjoyed sports or physical activity, including cycling!  

Pamela first heard about Sheffield Cycling 4 All (SC4A) on the local radio, she contacted SC4A via email and ended up borrowing the Di Blasi folding trike for several weeks, which allowed her to discover that it wasn’t the right Trike for her. She also borrowed a Pashley Tri 1 trike for several months. 

Pam says, 

‘Borrowing both trikes opened up a whole new world to me that I thought I would never be able to be a part of! I still get a little anxious when I have to cycle on the road, but overall it’s boosted my confidence no end. I really enjoy the feeling of freedom cycling gives me. I know it’s doing me good as exercise, but I also feel like I’ve achieved something useful at the end of a trail ride. I’m also starting to feel arthritis in my knees & hips, so I’m hoping that by cycling I’ll keep moving longer and slow down the progress of my arthritis, in fact, I don’t feel any knee or hip pain whilst cycling.’ 

Pam has now bought herself a very robust adult trike, a Vanraam midi with electric assist. She says, 

‘It has a brilliant electric motor that makes going up Sheffield hills a breeze! We’ve even changed our car so that it’s easier to take our trike out on various trails and my husband has also bought a new bike, [it’s] 40 years since he last rode one! It’s given us both a new lease of life, we go for a ride most weekends, sometimes local as I can now ride from home without being afraid I’ll be too tired to cycle up the hill back home. But mostly we go on trails, like Monsal and Tissington & we’ve even been around the Ladybower & Howden Damns, in the winter! When my husband retires, I’m sure that we’ll use our cycles even more! Most of our Christmas presents this year were cycling-related! 

I can honestly say that I would not have started cycling and enjoy it as much as I do, without the help and support that I got from SC4A. In fact, if I’d bought the initial trike I was interested in, I’d have probably tried it a few times, then simply left it in the garage collecting dust! 

I can’t thank SC4A enough for giving me the opportunity to fall in love with cycling, something I thought could never happen!’ 

For more information about borrowing one of our e-cycles for free, follow this link – https://www.sheffieldcycling4all.org/trike-loan/

Clare Hands is 23 and has been cycling with Sheffield Cycling 4 All (SC4A) for around 5 years. 

‘Although I was born in Nottingham, I have only ever truly been home in Sheffield. 

My interests include Cycling, climbing, cooking, music and gigs, TV, and my dog.  

I am a wheelchair user with some long-term health issues.  

Cycling has had a very positive effect on my health – increasing strength. It is also very good for mental health as I enjoy being a part of something.’ 

When asked if Clare had plans to cycle in the future she said,  

‘I certainly hope so! If cycling is a viable option, then, as with climbing, I would [always] choose [to do] it.  

SC4A’s records started in 2017, and since then Clare has cycled 70 times, whenever her university schedule allows. 

Clare has tried and liked some of our other trikes, like the Berkal and Hase Trigo Up, but her firm favourite is the Greenspeed. 

‘I need a recumbent trike for stability. It needs something of a speed limiter as I struggle to reach the handbrake. I need to be accompanied by someone who could suction my airways if necessary.’ 

The Greenspeed Trike is a great one to have at the sessions. It is stable, and the seat isn’t too low, so you can us about transport from a chair to it.  

The new Greenspeed has parking brakes, which means people can transfer independently. It is also slightly shorter than the original one, so we can now cater for different heights of people. 

Clare says, 

‘I have noticed a positive impact on my mental health and well-being as well as the satisfaction I get from each session.’   

National Lottery questions.  

We asked Clare our monitoring questions and the answers are below. 

• Have you been moving easily and feeling healthy?  

Yes  

• Have you been able to cycle for long periods of time?  

Yes  

• Have you been actively engaged with the SC4A community?  

Yes  

• Have you felt more confident and good about yourself?  

Yes 

• From talking to others at cycling, have you heard about services that I can access?  

My speech is indistinct and quiet due to my tracheostomy, so I don’t often talk to people who don’t know me.   

• Have you been getting to know new people here?  

My speech is indistinct and quiet due to my tracheostomy, so I don’t often talk to people who don’t know me. 

By Jenny, October 2022 

Thank you so much to Sheffield Cycling 4 All (SC4A) for loaning me the e-trike attachment and chair [Tribike Hybrid Plus). It’s been great to try it out. Here are some of the places I have tried out… 

Firstly there’s our trusty home Hillsborough Park! It was great to bring the dog and partner as I usually cycle with a carer on a side-by-side trike so it was great to be out as a family.

We also tried out Manvers lake to test a different terrain so that was nice and it wouldn’t have been accessible to me in my regular chair. 

I went to the Monsal Trail with my Dad and sister who I haven’t been able to get out with in a couple of years. I would definitely love to return here one day with other cyclists perhaps so I could go a bit faster and travel a bit further. We also made use of the cafe/pub as it’s thirsty work that cycling!

Then local again we got on the Trans Pennine trail. I tested out one of the motorbike bollards for size and could get through with pedals down but not up so may be tricky for someone whose hand pedals can’t be left in the down position and coast through.

All in all a nice mixture of places and great to be able to try them out as I would not have been able to easily without the trike attachment.

For more information about borrowing one of our e-cycles for free, follow this link – https://www.sheffieldcycling4all.org/trike-loan/

Irene is a 72-year-old female who lives alone in Sheffield. Irene attends Sheffield Cycling 4 All every Monday and Thursday. Irene rides a “Berkel bike” trike (Semi-Recumbent Tricycle), which uses your arms and legs to pedal. Irene loves this bike as she feels she’s working her whole body while feeling safe and solid on a low frame. 

Irene’s day to day life includes being very social and active. Her main responsibility at home is looking after her pet cat and she looks after herself independently. She lives in an older person’s community with really supportive neighbours. One of her close friends lives right opposite, who attends the cycling group with Irene. One of Irene’s biggest worries is losing her ability to walk. Although going out and meeting friends is something she enjoys, this can also be overwhelming and bring anxiety.  

One thing Irene said helps with her anxieties is going to the same or familiar places. This is part of why she loves cycling at Sheffield Cycling 4 All, as she goes every week to the same park and sees familiar, friendly faces and feels safe within the group. Another part of Irene’s life is coping with spinal injury which causes her to have poor balance. She said cycling was the way she dealt with this change in mobility stating, it improved her balance and strength and even made walking easier. 

Irene’s goal is now to purchase her own trike! She wants to go on a cycling holiday at her friend’s holiday home in the country and cycle around the countryside. She said coming to the cycling group has given her the support and confidence to do this which didn’t seem possible before. 

“It has given me a lifted outlook on life, helped me physically while being in a beautiful park” 

“Physical, mental and social…it helps all three!” 

Written by Grace Battye while on placement at Sport for Confidence and Sheffield Cycling 4 All in her 3^rd year of an Occupational Therapy course at Sheffield Hallam University 2022.  

If you are interested in our cycling sessions, please email info@sheffieldcycling4all.org or contact 07565695296 or 07922183338

Chrissy is 34 years old and recently had an acquired brain injury. He had two brain operations and spent 4 months in hospital. Chrissy was working as a joiner, getting on with everyday life so this event was unexpected and life changing for him.  

Chrissy was referred to the Sheffield Cycling 4 All by his community therapist to help with his ongoing brain injury rehabilitation. Sheffield Cycling 4 All is an inclusive trike cycling group run by Disability Sheffield. The therapist attended the first two cycling sessions with him and now he travels to the sessions and attends independently twice a week and rides a trike.  

Chrissy reported the cycling is fantastic. Despite cycling helping to improve the mobility in his left leg, the biggest outcome is the confidence boost cycling has given him. Chrissy said attending the cycling group has given him the confidence to get around and use public transport alone and has had a big impact on his independence.  

Chrissy has reduced dexterity and weakness in his left upper limb. However, he is motivated to use it during cycling to help facilitate function. 

Cycling had always been a hobby for Chrissy prior to his brain injury, so being able to participate in the cycling group has empowered him to return to an occupation he previously enjoyed. He has also been able to engage with other participants in the group, getting to know them and also share his experiences and knowledge, and learn about services in the community. 

Although having a brain injury was a life changing event, Chrissy said his life has only got better. He has a son on the way and is looking forward to being able to go cycling in the future with his family. 

Cycling has helped Chrissy to overcome his brain injury and live a positive lifestyle and given him the confidence to achieve his aspirations and goals. Chrissy is motivated to return to work and be able to drive again. 

Photo and case study by Becky Teasdale while on placement at Sport for Confidence and Sheffield Cycling 4 All in her 3^rd year of an Occupational Therapy course at Sheffield Hallam University 2022. 

If you are interested in our cycling sessions, please email info@sheffieldcycling4all.org or contact us on 07565 695 296 or 07922 183 338.