A £21,000 ‘Share The Joy’ grant is being distributed between nine new community groups in London to encourage more people to cycle.
The fund started with a £100,000 investment from mobility giant Lime in partnership with the London Cycling Campaign and social enterprise, Loud Mobility.
Recipients of the funding include a Newham Care4Calais refugee bikes project offering bike locks and bike repair sessions for asylum seekers; Pedal Power Cycling Club offerings rides and cycle training for those with learning disabilities in Islington, Haringey and Hackney; and Sikh Cycling Club offering cycle training for women and older people in a Sikh community, particularly in Ealing and Ilford.
Harjit Lakhan from the Sikh Cycling Club commented: “This support will enable us to prioritise underrepresented groups, including women, older riders, ethnically diverse groups, and geographically isolated or low-income communities in London, fostering an inclusive cycling culture and making cycling a more accessible and equitable activity for everyone.”
The Share the Joy fund launched in July 2024. Its first round of funding went to The Bike Project, C86erz, Cycle Sisters, London Bike Kitchen, Londra Bisiklet Kulübü, UpCycle Ldn, Westminster Wheels, Wheels for Wellbeing and The Women of Colour Cycling Collective.
Georgia Yexley, Founder of Loud Mobility, told Zag Daily: “The fund has been set up with a particular focus on providing a low-barrier route to support activists, community groups and grassroots organisations delivering joyful cycling experiences in London. This work is currently extremely underfunded, yet integral to achieving the behaviour change needed for a greener future.”
Fund applicants can apply for community projects under one or more of three streams of activity: Health & Wellbeing, Accessibility & Inclusion and/or Skills & Connectivity, with funding applications generally accepted up to £2,500 but with a £4,000 cap for ‘exceptional’ projects.
The next round of funding applications will open in February 2025, with further funding rounds planned throughout 2025.
