Whalley Range on Wheels wins award for Best Community Project
Whalley Range on Wheels have jointly won the award for the Best Community Project by Cycling UK for the community cycling activities in Alexandra Park.
Whalley Range on Wheels comprises a band of committed volunteers who have worked tirelessly over the last 18 months to make Alexandra Park in South Manchester a real hive of cycling activity.
Project co-ordinator Eve Holt has made it possible for hundreds of people to get on their bikes, with regular activities and events for the whole family, including adults learning to ride for the first time, improver sessions for rusty returners, road training, bike maintenance workshops and social rides.
Cycling UK Trustee Welna Bowden, Chair of the Awards Committee, said: “People attend the sessions come rain or shine and the atmosphere is always positive and welcoming.
“A small group of volunteer mechanics has helped bring donated bikes back to life so that some participants now have their own bike.
“The project has grown through word of mouth and with there being a physical presence in the park. It’s an excellent example of fluid working across organisations with volunteers working alongside Transport for Greater Manchester and Manchester Parks services.
“Whalley Range on Wheels is exactly the sort of project that can make a real difference.”
Project co-ordinator Eve said: “The appetite from local people has been wonderful. People of all ages and backgrounds come to the sessions and both participants and volunteers alike talk about the impact it has on their wellbeing and lives.
“Thanks to the Big Bike Revival, we have been able to revive 40 second-hand bikes over the summer, some from out of skips, and give them to Manchester asylum seekers who have been attending our regular Monday sessions so they can #ridefree.
http://www.cyclinguk.org/news/20161014-community-cycling-groups-onna-high-sharing-award
Alex Park July & August Cricket Calendar
The park boasts a club standard cricket pitch with changing rooms which is used by several cricket clubs from the local community and compete in local cricket leagues.
LCB Managing Director Bobby Vlogs with Paul McGuffog
LCB Managing Director Bobby Denning took time to chat with Paul McGuffog, our LCB Cricket Development Officer for Manchester, around the renovated cricket facility at Alexandra Park, which was finished in 2015, and facing a prosperous summer of cricket for the area.
The old Victorian park had been left in disrepair for a number of years, but thanks to Manchester City Council and Heritage Lottery Fund, along with the England and Wales Cricket Trust provided a grant to help revitalise the run down park and restore it to its former glory. Along with the renovation of the park, the sports facilities were given a boost with the addition of a large cricket square, pavilion, as well as covers, nets and scoreboard.
A total of 42 matches were completed last year, and a lot of interested clubs within the Manchester area who are looking to utilise the facility for 2016, with opportunities for local teams to take advantage of this great facility and to adapt the cricket pitch to host many cricket activities.
