Inclusive Cycling

Inclusive Cycling is about letting anyone cycle, whatever their age or physical ability. The best way to explain it is Roger Knight’s story below, in his own words, that I think will move you – not by bike, but still about cycling, as published in the June 2024 edition of the Hayling Herald.

Roger is one of Cycle Hayling’s committee stalwarts, who rides everywhere to keep his health conditions at bay. Over to Roger …

I remember how my parents were always active adventurers—they travelled the world and had all sorts of amazing experiences. My father was a brilliant engineer, and always coming up with ideas – how many people build their own aeroplane?

Then a series of strokes completely shattered his life, akin to dementia. From fit and active, he suddenly became withdrawn, unable to walk, wheelchair bound. His condition made him drowsy, so he wasn’t safe with a mobility scooter. Even car rides would send him to sleep. We thought we’d lost him.

That’s when I tried one of Pompey Pedals’ specially adapted trikes – they have them for almost every ability and disability, and run sessions every weekday. And that completely changed everything. Overnight.  

Riding him around Portsmouth, he stayed alert and began recounting stories from his childhood during wartime. He pointed out areas destroyed by bombs and reminisced about life growing up in wartime Portsmouth. 

Pompey Pedals had to stop during lockdown, so we bought our own specially adapted cargo trike, which carried a passenger in a wheelchair at the front. Being outdoors on the trike kept up his social connections, replacing the clubs he used to attend. He would wave to passers-by and engage in distanced conversations, fostering a warm sense of community.

Witnessing this sudden transformation was absolutely remarkable, strengthening our bond and connecting us with those around us. Even in his final days, he cherished these rides. I really felt like I’d got my old dad back.

Following his passing, my mum’s own mobility declined due to arthritis, and now dementia, so we started to use the trike for her outings all across Portsmouth. We visit cafes, shops, enjoy leisure rides, and run errands together. Accessing the local GP surgery and St Mary’s Hospital is now stress-free compared to the challenges of using a car – the traffic congestion, the parking difficulties. With the trike, we arrive at our destination refreshed.

My mum says “I like being on it, because it feels as if I was actually cycling myself. I actually feel normal and not someone who has a disability. I like the reactions of children when they look at the trike fascinated. And that makes me feel good. People wave at you – I need to learn to wave back like a Queen!”.

I’ve seen firsthand how cycling boosts our physical and our mental well-being. But what really surprised me was how beneficial it is for dementia—it really seems to slow it down.

As a volunteer for Cycling Without Age on Hayling, we take residents of care homes out on specially adapted trishaws, and I notice the same calming effect. Care homes bring their residents to Pompey Pedals from as far away as Petersfield. Carers tell me they’re happier for several days afterwards, and easier to care for.

Roger on Cycling Without Age trike

Hayling must have hundreds of people with disabilities hidden away. We all know of friends or relatives, maybe even parents. Hidden away, because they’re usually not very mobile, so we rarely see them.

My ambition is to get them all mobile with inclusive cycling – a ’Hayling Pedals’ to match ‘Pompey Pedals’, based on the ’Cycling Without Age’ scheme, which is now established on Hayling, but is under threat. We can’t let it fail! Cycle Hayling is talking to the Council about finding a secure store for adapted trikes, which are bulkier than bikes, and a safe area to ride them, possibly around the southern end of the Billy Trail.  

Could you volunteer, as a rider, or help with bookings, or anything? Do you know a care home that would use it, or would help? It’s the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done in my life – join us!

Hayling Cycle Safari 2022

If venues can’t or won’t give you a sticker for any reason, or are closed, they (or you) can mark the form to say so. When redeeming rewards, we will use common sense to try to fill in for any missing stickers.

Whether you used your bicycle yesterday, last month or last year, why not ride the
Hayling Platinum Cycle Safari 2022?
It’s not a race. It’s not a competition.
It’s a Safari!

This year, over twice as many venues, twice as far apart, and twice as many rewards to claim!

Start your Safari by collecting an entry form and sticker from one of the 37 Safari Stops, or download below, then cycle around other Safari Stops to add more stickers.

Collect 4 gold stickers from the 8 gold Safari Stops plus 16 more purple stickers from the purple Safari Stops and claim your free tube of Hayling Platinum Sun Lotion to clip to your bike or belt. See a sample at the Safari Stops.

Carry on collecting; when you have 6 gold stickers from the 8 gold Safari Stops plus 26 purple stickers from the purple Safari Stops you also qualify for a unique memento, a Hayling Island Platinum Plaque, personalised with your name(s). Visit “Rock, Paper, Clay Ceramics” in Rails Lane to see a sample plaque.

It’s free to enter, as Hampshire County Council is supporting it, and you don’t have to buy anything when you collect your stickers.

A) Entrants may each claim one tube of Sun Lotion and one Plaque.

B) Collect your stickers from Thursday 2nd June to Friday 30th September, inclusive.

C) Visit the Safari Stops in any order and whenever they’re open – check opening hours!

D) There’s no need to visit every Safari Stop – although, it’s more fun if you do!

E) Claim your Sun Lotion only at Hayling Ferry (on board), The Terracotta Pot Shop, The Hayling Book Shop, Café in The Park and Stoke Fruit Farm.

F) Claim your Platinum Plaque only at “Rock, Paper, Clay Ceramics” in Rails Lane. Each will be fired with your name(s). This may take up to 4 weeks if Kim and Nick get busy! Your Platinum Plaque can be mailed to you at your own cost.

G) Last date to claim your Platinum reward(s) is Friday 14th October.

H) As with all Safaris, leave only tyre prints and take only photographs – we’d love to see your selfies at a Safari Stop – so, please send any photographs we may use for publicity to wilf@cyclehayling.org

Information collected will not be used for any purpose other than Hayling Island Cycle Safaris. Cycle Safaris are organised by Cllr Lance Quantrill, Hampshire CC and Cycle Hayling.

See or print these instructions here, the map here, the sticker collector front here and sticker collector back here.

Sign up at cyclehayling.org/signup to support more cycling on Hayling Island, and to hear about future Hayling Island Cycle Safaris.

See our 2021 Safari here, which saw 67 Islanders getting their maps stamped at up to 16 venues across the island, and more doing it just for fun.

For more details, contact wilf@cyclehayling.org or Councillor Lance Quantrill.

Hayling Cycle Safari 2021

The Hayling Cycle Safari is a fun way to get people cycling along the sea front and be rewarded with a free set of bike lights to keep them cycling safely as evenings get darker!

It’s been organised and sponsored by Hayling’s Hampshire County Councillor, Lance Quantrill, in conjunction with Cycle Hayling, Hayling Cycles, our local bike shop, and many local businesses.

Hayling Cycle Safari map

The idea is to get your form stamped by venues from the yellow boxes on the map. Once you’ve gained 22 points, registered people can take the map into Hayling Cycles for a free bike light set (for 2021).

Instructions are on this entry form. You can pick up a form and a map from the Hayling Trader, or one of the participating venues, or download it from the links above. You’ll need to register for each person who wants to claim the free lights, or you can do it for fun without registering.

Venues might not be open – if not, just get a photo (if you can)! Please bear with venues if they’re busy.

We’d love to hear how it goes, and especially get some photos outside the venues, holding up your maps!

Have fun, and good luck!

A cycle ride around Langstone Harbour

This very accomplished video from Mike Beel shows guides you round the Langstone Harbour Ride shown on the back of our Cycle Map.

The illustrated route uses the shared cycle path from the Langbrook Carvery south along the main road to Mill Lane (in red here). This is narrow in places, and passes several obscured drives.

A quieter alternative (shown in blue) is to cross the main road at the Langbrook Carvery into Woodberry Avenue which becomes Southbrook Road. Turn left into the small cul de sac after Hamilton Close (also called Southbrook Road) and use the tucked-away cut-through on the right at the red dot to join the Langstone section of the Billy Trail and on to rejoin the described route at Mill Lane.

Pictures from our social ride round the island

Some of us at the Cycle Hayling signboard at the bridge

Thanks to everyone who enjoyed yesterday’s beautiful evening for our social ride around the island. I’ve uploaded a few more pictures to Google at https://goo.gl/photos/9Lktb4V5UoGr73Wu9. Several of you took more – please let us have them to add to the site.

I hope everyone found it interesting, and discovered at least one new place to cycle. We passed plenty of places that badly need better cycle paths. Rest assured that we’ll be working with Havant Borough Council to ensure they spend the Bellway Homes Community Infrastructure Levy on them. Please lobby your councillors! If you have ideas, or think you can help, please post on the site or give us feedback.

3 Churches Fete – Hayling Park, 10 August

Cycle Hayling together with Portsmouth CTC will have a stall at the 3 Churches Fete to be held on Wednesday 10 August from 12.00 to 16.15 in Hayling Park, West Town, Hayling Island. We will, as in past years, have our 2 Turbo Challenge bikes to see who can ride the furthest in 1 minute. This has been very well attended with over 100 riders competing at previous events and is one of the ways we promote Cycle Hayling, our cycling club and generally encourage cycling. Come along and join the fun, and even better help to set up and manage the stall. If you can help out in any way please contact me at Robert@cyclehayling.org

Donkey Derby & Fete on Saturday 28 May

Hayling Lions Club are holding a Donkey Derby & Fete on Saturday 28 May at Legion Field (just off Legion Road), Hayling Island, from 13.00 to 16.00. Cycle Hayling together with Portsmouth CTC will have a stall with 2 Turbo Challenge bikes to see who can ride the furthest in 1 minute. This has been very well attended with over 100 riders competing in previous year’s events and is one of the ways we promote Cycle Hayling, the Portsmouth CTC club and generally encourage cycling. Come along and join the fun, and even better help to set up and manage the stall. If you can help out please e-mail at: Robert@cyclehayling.org