A community organisation in Snodland, Kent, is celebrating after securing funding for a new biking facilty, including a grant of £23,500 from Tarmac’s Landfill Communities Fund.
Community Cycleworks was awarded funding for the project after identifying that young bike riders in the area had nowhere to ride and practice their skills in a safe, traffic-free environment. The organisation aims to reduce anti-social riding while encouraging sport, skill progression, healthy choices and mental wellbeing through positive social interactions.
In response, Snodland Bike Club was set up in partnership with local children to help young people from Snodland and the surrounding areas find somewhere safe to ride and develop their skills. Ideas put forward by the group included the creation of a pump track – a purpose-built facility with banked turns and jump features designed to challenge and progress bike handling skills.
With funding now in place to install a permanent pump track, the team behind the project recently held a community fun day to celebrate.
The event gave members of the public a chance to try out a temporary mobile pump track and take part in activities, including a smoothie bike, BMX bike skills workshops and demonstrations, a balance bike course and bike fix repairs.
Stewart Vanns, founder of Community Cycleworks and project lead, said: “It was great that local people could come and see how much fun a pump track can be, ahead of the proposed build date of Autumn/Winter 2021 for the full, permanent track.
“The young people of the Snodland Bike Club were keen to support their community and showcase the superb opportunity we have to look forward to, as well as showing that young people are capable of helping a dream become reality.”
Acknowledging the support received already, Stewart added: “Thank you to Snodland Town Council for a generous funding donation, gifting of the land plot and taking on the long-term ownership. Other key partners are Clarion Futures, Snodland Partnership, British Cycling, Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council and Tarmac, and are all helping to make this vision a reality.”
Tracey Crouch, MP for Chatham and Aylesford, said: “This is a much-needed project that is being done in conjunction with younger members of the community to provide a track, where there is currently no such facility. The team behind the bid deserves huge congratulations for identifying the need, proposing a solution, and successfully bidding for funding. The fun day was a fantastic way for Snodland and surrounding communities to celebrate.”
Sam Turner, unit manager at Tarmac’s Snodland asphalt plant, said: “We are proud to support this project through the Tarmac Landfill Communities Fund. We’re committed to supporting communities in which we operate, and it’s great to see a local community so passionate about a project and enhancing their local area.”
Work to create the pump track is expected to start in the Autumn.
