These informal sessions will give people the skills for life to carry out basic bike repair and maintenance for use at home, at work or on the move. People can choose to attend all five lessons or pick and choose the ones that they find most interesting.
The sessions last for two hours and will cover a variety of topics including making emergency roadside repairs, learning to keep chains clean and working, tuning gears, and straightening a bent wheel.
Portsmouth City Council is working with the team at Southsea Cycles to bring the Repair & Ride workshops to five locations across the city. Busy residents will have flexibility over the sessions they attend with a choice of Saturday mornings, evening and daytime sessions. The sessions will take place from early March and will run throughout the year at the following locations:
- Treadgolds Warehouse, John Pounds Centre
- Buckland Community Centre
- Southsea Cycles
- St Michael’s Church, Paulsgrove
- St Francis Church, Hilsea
The programme includes workshops for women and the council hopes that these sessions will appeal to women from minority backgrounds. There will also be sessions for some secondary school and college students to encourage more young people to cycle particularly to their place of education.
Cllr Lynne Stagg, Cabinet Member for Traffic and Transportation, said: “At this difficult time, when so many people are struggling with the cost of living, cycling can be an attractive, low-cost option to get around. Whether you’re new to cycling, or are starting to cycle again after a break, these workshops could really you learn some basic skills to fix up old bikes and get back out on the road. I hope that the workshops will encourage people to keep cycling for healthier lives and a cleaner city”
The workshops are provided by the council and funded through the government’s Capability Fund. This revenue grant is given to local authorities outside London to enable behaviour change projects which support and encourage cycling and walking.
The council continues to encourage people to walk and cycle more for greener, healthier, and better-connected journeys through sustainable travel projects and the Local Transport Plan.
More activities are planned for this year including fun cycle training for children and instructor-led rides for people who are developing their cycling skills. There will also be help for staff to travel more sustainably to and for work and more bike storage on city streets.
To find out more and to book your place, visit travel.portsmouth.gov.uk/repairandride