More than 4,400 Shropshire children benefit from Bikeability cycle training
More than 4,400 children across Shropshire benefited from Bikeability cycle training in the year 2025/26 year thanks to Active Travel England funding secured by Shropshire Council.
Bikeability forms a key part of Shropshire Council’s commitment to road safety education and is delivered by Learn Cycling on behalf of the council.
Between April 2025 and March 2026 2,342 Year 6 pupils successfully completed Bikeability Level 1 and Level 2 training, helping them develop the skills and confidence needed to cycle safely on local roads.
In addition, Learn to Ride training was delivered to 244 children and Bikeability Level 3 training to 273 pupils, providing opportunities for young people to further develop their cycling competence and independence.
As part of Shropshire Council’s Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme, an additional 753 children took part in Learn to Ride sessions during the school holidays, helping more young people gain confidence too.
Funding from Active Travel England’s revenue grant also enabled 807 children to receive balance bike training, helping to develop fundamental cycling skills from an early age.
Rob Wilson, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for transport and regeneration, said:
“It is fantastic to see so many children across Shropshire benefiting from Bikeability and other cycle training opportunities this year.
“Learning to ride and cycle safely is a valuable life skill that gives children confidence, independence and the opportunity to make more active journeys. By providing high-quality training at every stage, from balance bikes through to Level 3 Bikeability, we are helping children develop the skills they need to travel safely while supporting healthier lifestyles and more sustainable communities.
“I would like to thank our schools, training providers and partners for helping us deliver this successful programme and ensuring thousands of young people across the county have had the opportunity to get involved.”
Keith Jepson from Learn Cycling, said:
“It has been a pleasure to work with Shropshire Council and schools across the county to deliver Bikeability and cycle training to so many young people this year.
“We regularly see children grow in confidence throughout the training, developing not only their cycling skills but also their awareness, decision-making and independence. For some children, these sessions provide their first opportunity to learn to ride a bike, while for others they help build the confidence needed to cycle safely on local roads and make more active journeys.
“It is particularly rewarding to see children leave the programme with skills that will benefit them for years to come, supporting healthier lifestyles, safer travel and a lifelong enjoyment of cycling.”
Cycling is an important life skill that can support independent travel to school, helping to reduce reliance on car journeys and ease congestion around school drop-off and pick-up times.
Research has shown that areas with higher levels of Bikeability participation have seen reductions in road traffic casualties, which demonstrates the benefits of investing in high-quality cycle training.
Alongside improving road safety awareness, encouraging children to cycle regularly can also deliver significant health and wellbeing benefits by increasing physical activity and helping young people lead healthier lifestyles.
