One in four children aged 5 to 10 in the UK don’t have access to a cycle at home.
Your donation can provide access to a cycle, helmet and lock, giving a child the freedom to keep cycling.
How your donation helps
By supporting Cycles for Children, your donation can help provide a child who cannot afford a cycle with access to one of their own.
Support is provided through a voucher scheme that enables families to visit their local cycle shop and choose the right cycle, helmet, lights and lock for their child.
Every child’s needs are different, and the cost of support can vary depending on the cycle, equipment and support required. These examples show how your donation could help make a difference.
- £15 could contribute to a helmet
Providing a child with essential safety equipment for their cycling journey. - £50 could contribute to a lock and lights
Helping a child keep their cycle secure and ready for everyday riding. - £100 could contribute towards a cycle of their own
Giving a child the opportunity to continue their cycling journey. - £200 could contribute towards a complete cycle package
Helping provide all the essentials a child needs to keep riding.*
A cycle can help a child build confidence, gain independence and experience the freedom of new adventures. You can help them continue the journey they started through Bikeability.
Donate today
Meet Leo
Leo discovered the freedom to cycle…
Before Bikeability, Leo couldn’t ride a cycle and was nervous about learning.
“I couldn’t cycle at all until Bikeability came to school. I felt really left out that all my friends could cycle to school, but I couldn’t.”
But through Bikeability, his nerves quickly turned into confidence. He discovered that cycling wasn’t something he could only admire from a distance. It was something he could enjoy himself.
“They taught me basically everything – the road safety made me feel more confident to ride different routes from home to school.”
For the first time, Leo felt included.
…but without a cycle of his own, that freedom couldn’t continue
During his training, Leo used a fleet cycle so that he could take part with his classmates. But when the training finished, so did his access to a cycle.
Like many children, Leo wanted to keep cycling. He wanted the confidence, independence and enjoyment it gave him. But without a cycle of his own, he couldn’t continue his journey.
“I felt sad because I didn’t have a cycle at home.”
Then, thanks to people like you, everything changed
A generous donation meant Leo received a cycle of his own, giving him the opportunity to continue the journey he started through Bikeability.
“I felt excited and lucky and very thankful.”
His cycle gave Leo far more than a way to get around – it gave him independence.
Today, he rides independently and with his friends, enjoys exploring new places, and takes the long way home from school.
“I have gained confidence to ride to and from school alone. Before that, I wouldn’t leave the house without my mum because I was too anxious.”
Today, Leo’s journey is just beginning
For Leo, getting to school isn’t just about travelling from A to B. Cycling has helped him build confidence, independence and a sense of freedom that reaches far beyond the school gates.
Every child deserves that same opportunity.
Leo’s message to you
If Leo could speak to another child who feels left out because they do not have access to a cycle, this is what he’d say:
“I’d want them to know that they’re not weird because they can’t ride a bike and that having the confidence to learn can change your life.”
And when asked what he’d like to say to the people who helped make that possible, his message was simple:
“Thank you so much for my bike, it really has changed my life and I’m so lucky!”
But Leo’s story is just one of many.
Why Cycles for Children?
Every year, hundreds of thousands of children complete Bikeability training. For some, learning to ride on today’s roads opens a future of confidence and independence.
But we know that for too many children, the journey ends as soon as the training finishes because they don’t have access to a cycle at home.
That’s why we’ve launched Cycles for Children: the first national fundraising appeal from The Bikeability Trust, helping children continue the journey they started through Bikeability.
Fundraising through your school?
Schools can help more children keep cycling by fundraising for Cycles for Children through SuperKind.
Whether it’s a sponsored cycle, non-uniform day, cycle-to-school challenge or whole-school fundraiser, your pupils can help give more children the freedom to keep riding beyond Bikeability training.
We’ve partnered with SuperKind to make fundraising simple and rewarding for schools. Through the platform, your school can:
- Set up fundraising pages quickly and easily
- Track donations and fundraising progress in one place
- Share campaigns with parents, carers and the wider school community
- Split funds raised between Cycles for Children and your own school fundraising goals
That means your school can support children who need access to cycles, while also raising money for projects, equipment or activities that benefit your own pupils.
Fundraising through your school is a great way to build on Bikeability training and help children understand the importance of fairness, inclusion and active travel.
Start fundraising today.
FAQs: Making a Donation
You can make a donation via our online donation form.
We also accept bank transfers and cheque donations. Please contact us for further details at fundraising@bikeabilitytrust.org.
Yes. You can set up a monthly, quarterly or annual donation of any amount you choose. To set up a regular donation, please complete our online form.
Gift Aid is a UK Government scheme that allows registered charities to claim back tax from HMRC on donations made by UK taxpayers. When you complete a Gift Aid declaration, we can claim an extra 25% on your donation at no additional cost to you.
For example, for every £1 you donate, Gift Aid adds an extra 25p, making your donation worth £1.25.
You can add Gift Aid by ticking the Gift Aid declaration box when making your donation through our online donation form.
Please ensure you are a UK taxpayer and that the donation is made personally by you, rather than on behalf of a company or another individual.
If you have any questions about your donation, please contact our fundraising team at fundraising@bikeabilitytrust.org.
How Your Donation Helps
Your donation helps us create more opportunities for children and families to experience the benefits of cycling. It supports our appeals, campaigns and charitable programmes, helping us reach more people, remove barriers to participation and ensure more children can enjoy the freedom, confidence and lifelong benefits that cycling brings.
Yes, we receive funding from Active Travel England to support the delivery of our core cycle training programme.
However, donations enable us to do much more than deliver our funded activity. Your support helps us invest in innovation, research, inclusion initiatives, and programmes that reach children who may otherwise miss out on the benefits of cycling.
About Cycles for Children
Your donation helps support Cycles for Children by contributing towards a voucher that can cover a cycle, helmet, lights and lock. This helps them build confidence, independence and enjoy the benefits of cycling.
Children who have completed Bikeability training will be given the option to be considered for the scheme. This is subject to eligibility and while we would love to provide cycles to all children, we will be prioritising those children who cannot afford a cycle of their own. Once eligible, families will be given a voucher which they can redeem through participating cycle retailers.
Children who have completed Bikeability training and have used fleet cycles will be notified that they may be eligible to receive a voucher. Priority is given to children who do not have access to a cycle at home.
Yes. We are committed to making cycling accessible to as many children as possible and will support children who require adaptive cycles wherever possible.
Partnerships & Fundraising
We welcome partnerships with businesses of all sizes. Opportunities include sponsorship, employee fundraising, volunteering, charity of the year partnerships and cause-related marketing.
To find out more, visit our partnerships page or contact fundraising@bikeabilitytrust.org.
Absolutely. You can support us by organising an event, taking on a challenge, hosting a workplace fundraiser or creating your own fundraising activity.
Please note that Gift Aid cannot usually be claimed on the total amount raised through fundraising events. For guidance and support, contact our fundraising team at fundraising@bikeabilitytrust.org.
Yes. Many supporters choose to celebrate the life of a loved one through donations or fundraising activities in their memory. Please contact our fundraising team if you would like support or ideas for setting this up.
For any other questions not listed above, please do not hesitate to contact us at fundraising@bikeabilitytrust.org.
*Costs are indicative and may vary depending on each child’s individual needs, the type of cycle required and local supplier costs. Every donation helps us provide the right support to eligible children who have completed Bikeability training.