October update

Cycle to School Week 2025 

Cycle to School Week is almost here, running from 13–17 October! We’ve had over 260,000 pledges so far (up from 160,000 last year) and we can’t wait to showcase the impact of Bikeability in action. Have you made your own pledge and shared on your network? You can do so here.  

 This year, over 30 MPs have already confirmed they want to see sessions in their constituencies, plus some special VIP’s and some exciting new launches. It will be our biggest one yet! That’s a huge chance to demonstrate the importance of what you do every day. At such a critical political time, with October budget and pressures on public finances, showing cross party support for Bikeability is key in helping secure a long term funding settlement. 

We know it takes extra time to manage the process, but schools and Headteachers really love a visit from their local MP and the publicity this brings for them. We know from the Get Cycling in Schools leads that are hosting visits they jump at the chance. But we also want to show them on road cycle training, so it’s vital we have visits booked in for cycle to school week.  

The crucial day is on the Friday of Cycle to School Week (17 Oct), as this is the constituency day for parliamentarians. Together we can make the most of this national moment and show local changemakers the difference Bikeability makes. Please email us at hello@bikeabilitytrust.org if you’d like more support or information.  

Bikeability Conference 2025 

We’re excited to welcome grant recipients and training providers to the annual Bikeability Conference! With a packed agenda of talks, workshops and networking opportunities, it’s a fantastic opportunity for us to work together to make Bikeability the best that it can be. Our focus for 2025 is on quality and the development of an annual quality plan to hold us all accountable for quality delivery.  

Attendees will also have the chance to meet Bikeability’s partners, so you can learn more about the fantastic work they do to support us and get more kids cycling. Explore, get chatting and find out more about the discounts and deals available to industry.  

For instructors, we’ll be hosting an Instructor Webinar: Ask the Trust on 23rd October at 5pm, where you will have the chance to engage with us and ask questions. You will hear the presentation that I am giving at the conference, and then a session around quality, instructor CPD, and some of the actions we are looking at following feedback in the instructors survey we ran in the summer. Please book your place here.  

We look forward to meeting with as many of you as possible!  

Hey Cycle! 

To celebrate Cycle to School Week (13–17 October), we’ve done something a little bit different this year: meet our shiny new ‘cartoon report’, Hey Cycle! Representations of cycling on children’s TV.  

This report exclusively shows that more children have access to a TV than to their own cycle. That there are more submarines than cycles in Paw Patrol. That 20% of Hey Duggee characters cycle to school – versus 2% of children in real life. There’s a lot of fun and silliness in Hey Cycle! – but there’s an important message too. Cycling is a skill for life, but to get the lifetime benefits, you have to learn to cycle when you’re young.  

This report is a fun data dive into screen time vs cycle time, what children are watching, whether there are enough cycling heroes for them to get inspired – and how SpongeBob SquarePants could be the answer to active travel. We’d love to know what you think and what you’re all watching! 

Please do share the report across your channels, as these moments are key in showing the reach that Bikeability industry can create together.