Melvyn Ollerenshaw’s story
In November 2017 Melvyn had 2 strokes, one after another. He was taken to Hallamshire hospital where they ‘smashed up his blood clots’. Melvyn says he is lucky. After the strokes he had very little use of his left side, and arm. He couldn’t walk very well and was tired very easily.
Sometime in 2018 his wife was watching Look North, and saw Sheffield Cycling 4 All were on. She then searched online to find us (thank you Look North!).
Melvyn hasn’t cycled since he was 10-11 years old. Back then he would go everywhere on his bike, even cycling from Sheffield to Doncaster to see the trains.
“I used to make good use of it”, he says. Then, ‘since the invention of the motor car’ he never really bothered with cycling and says,
“I never thought about joining a club, but I am in one now”, although being in a club isn’t important to Melvyn, he comes to improve his fitness.
He has been cycling with Sheffield Cycling 4 All for about a year and a half now. When he first started, he would cycle around the basketball pitch (about 400m). Within a couple of months, he was cycling around the whole park, hills and all. Now Melvyn is doing 7 laps of the park in 2 hours! He is a machine!
Melvyn says he is invigorated by cycling,
“I’m just so pleased that I can cycle, I am getting better and better.”
Melvyn tries to come to Sheffield Cycling 4 All once a week (and to our Saturday session when he can), as well as going to the gym twice a week. In July 2019, Melvyn took part in the HSBC UK City Ride Sheffield. Starting at Endcliffe Park, the route takes you through to the city centre on traffic free roads. He loved it, saying,
“It was a great achievement.”
Melvyn is cycling easily now. He said that he started using 1st or 2nd gears only but is now using 3rd and 4th gears to get around. Melvyn feels engaged with the Sheffield Cycling 4 All community, but says that he is a quiet, anti-social type. Despite this, he is a favourite among our volunteers. Melvyn hasn’t asked, but our volunteer’s take it in turns to get a bike over to his car, so that he doesn’t have as far to walk. They know which bike he has (Van Raam Easy rider), where his seat needs to go, and which pedal to swap to a more supportive one.
When Melvyn is asked if he feels more confident and better about himself since starting cycling with us, he replies,
“I do.”
After the strokes Melvyn had to get used to his body again which was hard, it moved and acted differently than it did before, and the changes were sudden. Melvyn is learning to enjoy the challenges and achievements his body is giving him. He is proud of increasing the gears on the bike and the HSBC ride, and is looking forward to his next challenge of swimming.
Sadly Mel passed away in November 2022. So glad we got to meet you.
If you are interested in our sessions, please email info@sheffieldcycling4all.org or contact Tom on 0792 2183 338.
Mr David Storf
Above photos are of David and his brother at the HSBC city ride in 2019. He cycled from Hunters Bar to the city centre and back.
David Storf was born in Rochdale and has been living in Sheffield since 1973.
David enjoys going to the football and is a season ticket holder with Sheffield Wednesday. Before coming to SC4A (Sheffield Cycling 4 All) he says “I wasn’t doing anything, all I was doing was going to football on Sunday afternoons. Cycling got me out the house’.
This isn’t strictly true, he also went for a weekly walk in Hillsborough Park, which is where SC4A first met David. David would walk round the park with his Dad, and people cycling by would say ‘Hello, you’d be welcome to come along’.
Also, in the early 2000s David went out to the pub quite a bit, but lost contact with people there, he said it ‘fizzled out’. He was getting drunk every night which he said could be dangerous as he is unsteady on his feet.
Before COVID
David Storf was introduced to SC4A in September 2018 by Sheffield Council Focussed Reablement Team. He got hooked straight away. Before COVID he came to every available session on Tuesdays and Thursdays, morning and afternoon and had built up great friendships with the volunteers and participants as a result. This spurred him on to get back to the Gym. He attended Zest, his local gym, once, sometimes twice a week with support.
Since September 2018 David has come cycling 114 times and counting.
This is a big deal.
‘I wasn’t sure at first’ he says, ‘When I have never been somewhere before I always will be (shy) as I don’t know anyone. It’s like I wouldn’t do anything at one time, because I didn’t know how people are going to react to me do I?!’
‘Yeah I was shy, I didn’t say much at the beginning, I’ll talk to anybody now.’
When asked about the health benefits of cycling he said,
‘I get quite a bit out of it because I didn’t do anything and I need the exercise. I have got to be able to do it (exercise) because I fall down, and always will, the more cycling I do the better it gets. It gets strength back in my legs so I don’t fall over as much.’
David is an Ambassador at SC4A, he knows everything about the park, the trikes, the people. He is a well of information. He wants to be able to help out in any way he can. ‘If I can help people out I will do. If you get a new volunteer who hasn’t been around Hillsborough Park, I wouldn’t mind showing them around.’
‘When things go back to normal, if you needed me to go to the shop I would do. I’d go to the shop for you.’
He has brought teabags and coffee for the gang, and had hand-painted mugs made up, that said ‘Sheffield Cycling 4 All’ on them.
During COVID
David said ‘I am hardly out the house now, apart from once a week when my Dad picks me up to go cycling’
‘There is nowhere else to go – more or less, unless I had to go to the shop. You can’t go far without a mask now, I have only worn one once, and that was the other week to go to doctors.’
‘People do worry, people do worry about not being able to get out’
When asked if David worried, he said ‘Sometimes I worry that Barbara (helps out David at home) won’t be able to come into my house and clean and bring food.’
During lockdown SC4A staff called David once a fortnight. David said,
‘It’s good you are checking to see how I am’
SC4A provided David with a mini pedaller so he can cycle at home to maintain his physical activity. Once SC4A opened back up after the first lockdown, David was one of the first to be back cycling on 18th June and has been cycling almost every week since then.
Unfortunately, David doesn’t have a computer, tablet or any device to enable him to go online, this means that he hasn’t been able to attend any of our Zoom classes. However, we are currently looking into lending him a tablet.
When prompted again to talk about the benefits of being in Sheffield Cycling 4 All, he said
‘Put it this way, if it wasn’t for you, there would be none of them’ David gestures over to a wall in his living room, that has 6 framed photos from Sheffield Cycling 4 All. There are photos from our 10-year birthday party cycling session, a photo with Dame Sarah Story and a couple with a super star volunteer CW.
He talked about the Dame Sarah Story meeting a lot. We arranged for him to show her around the park on a side-by-side tandem.
‘I didn’t say much to her. I wasn’t prepared for it, but next time I will be ready. She knew I was shocked; it was so funny. [When cycling in the park] At the bottom she carried on, nearly heading onto the road, HA’
David is clearly very happy.
Emily’s story
We first heard about Emily when we were approached by Nina from the Sheffield Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus (SHASBAH). She was looking for a bike that 9-year-old Emily could borrow so that she could take part in Bikeability cycle training at her school. Emily’s mum, Helen, said,
“I always try to get Emily involved in everything that the school does. Emily has Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus and struggles with mobility. I purchased a ‘normal’ bike and paid for some adjustments in the hope Emily would be able to use it but unfortunately this was not the case.”
When Nina contacted us, we suggested that our solo hand cycle might be suitable for Emily, however we were concerned that it might be too big for her. She came down to one of our sessions to try it out and was glad to find that the bike was a good fit. Emily had a great time riding on the hand cycle and also enjoyed riding together with her mum on the tandem hand cycle. Helen said,
“The visit to Sheffield Cycling 4 All was, in one, word – fantastic!! They made us feel so welcome, the staff were friendly, helpful, and made 2 nervous people feel fine and at ease.”
Nina picked up the bike and took it to Emily’s school,
“Her face lit up when she saw the bike turn up at school and she couldn’t wait till Monday to get started,” said Helen. “Bikeability was great, Emily loved every second on the bike, even using it at playtimes in school. It was all she could talk about, and how much she felt included.”
The family have plans to ride together at Sheffield Cycling 4 All sessions in the future and eventually would like Emily to have a hand cycle of her own.
“Can I say a massive thank you to all at Sheffield Cycling 4 All for making my daughters year, and for making a mum very proud of her little girl,” said Helen. “Without yourselves and Nina I don’t think this would’ve been possible. Emily says a big thank you for letting her borrow the bike to do as her friends do at school.”
If you are interested in our sessions, please email info@sheffieldcycling4all.org or contact Tom on 0792 2183 338.
Alice’s Low rider
In 2018 Alice borrowed one of our Low rider trail mates from around a year while her family fundraised the money and waited for their own to come from America.
Chris, her father tells us more.
How did you hear about Sheffield Cycling 4 All (SC4A)?
I can’t remember.
What made you want a trike?
We went for a session at SC4A and it was the only trike suitable for Alice. The large stable seat and stability of the trike made Alice feel very secure straight away.
Where have you been with the trike?
We often go in Ecclesall Woods. Over the summer we’ve done several laps of Rother Valley. We’ve also been on the Monsall trail a couple of times.
What was your best adventure?
A particular trip to Ecclesall Woods where we only just managed to stop Alice going into the river springs to mind.
Why do you like it?
I love the independence it brings to Alice. She loves the speed of the trike. It allows her to be competitive! She loves to race people.
Have you had any benefits from cycling? For example- happy mood or moving easier etc.
There are benefits in terms of taking exercise for Alice. It also means we can do more outdoor things as a family. With Alice in her trike she can go a lot further than walking.
Why is accessible cycling a good thing?
I never thought Alice would ever ride a bike. The lack of stability/balance and small seat had always put her off. SC4A had a great set of bikes/trikes that we were able to try out. The style of the low rider trike solved all of our problems.
