New bike scheme lets elderly residents in Sheffield feel the fresh air

A group of volunteer cyclists are looking forward to taking elderly care home residents out in a cycle tri-shaw to ‘feel the wind in their hair’. 

Cycling Without Age (CWA) Sheffield is an intergenerational loneliness project and supports access to nature for care home residents, people in our city who spend nearly all their time indoors.

This initiative is new to Sheffield, but is operating successfully in about fifteen UK towns and cities. The UK website is for this initiative is www.cyclingwithoutage.org.uk, CWA also featured on BBC ‘Amazing Humans’. Organisers of the scheme said they used a specially adapted tri-bike (three-wheeled, e-bike) which has space for two passengers at the front, pedal powered by one ‘pilot’.

Each trip from the care home will take two passengers out for a ride around quiet roads and local parks, giving them the chance to notice the seasons, see what has changed locally and share memories. Our cycle pilots will all be volunteers committed to slow safe cycling and chatting with our passengers. 

The group previously won £1,000 at Sheffield Soup in October. Along with local grants and donations and £9,500 from The Big Lottery fund, Cycling Without Age said it had allowed it to order the tri-bike, which was earmarked for delivery this month.

It will be based at Nuffield Health Centre in Napier Street, offering the chance to be involved to care homes located in Sharrow, Nether Edge and Broomhall. Organisers say they are collaborating with St Marys Bramall Lane, Recycle Bikes and Shipshape / People Keeping Well.

Clare Rishbeth, who is the group leader for Cycling Without Age initiative, said: “After taking my 92 year-old aunt for a spin on one of these bikes and seeing her smile and wave to everyone I knew we had to bring this to Sheffield.”