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Adapted bike charity sees huge rise in demand

BBC A picture showing the types of adapted bikes on offer at the sessions. There are white bikes at the front of the image with large platforms on the back for securing wheelchairs. In the background there are red recumbent bikes which are three-wheeled bikes. BBC
Handle-cycle bikes enable those without full use of their legs to explore the forest while platform bikes are used to secure wheelchairs to the back

A charity is experiencing huge demand for its inclusive cycling sessions at which adapted bikes are provided for people with disabilities.

Goals Beyond Grass (GBG) Bikes, based in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, has been fundraising for eight years to provide expensive adapted bicycles.

The charity is desperate to buy more after seeing the number of participants double since the pandemic, with up to 500 people now taking part each month.

Debbie Cooper-Jones, who medically retired from the military in 2014, said the sessions inject "fun, joy and independence" back into exercise.

Debbie Cooper-Jones sitting in a recumbent bike in the Forest of Dean. It is an overcast day and there are brown leaves all over the ground. In the background there is an outdoor canopy with picnic benches underneath it. Ms Cooper-Jones is wearing a green padded coat, yellow sunglasses and a white helmet with a GoPro attached to the top.
Ms Cooper-Jones said she found retirement "confusing and depressing" before discovering recumbent bikes

Ms Cooper-Jones has taken part in numerous triathlons and traversed more than 5,000 miles (805km) with the help of a recumbent bike since joining the charity in 2017.

"After realising I couldn't ride a conventional bike anymore because of my balance and other health issues, it's just been fantastic to find a way to do it again," the 57-year-old said.

"To not be stuck in the mentality of not being able to do something, it's just about finding the right kit to get back into it.

"It brought back that element of fun and joy, just being in nature.

"Making it more accessible for people who might not be able to get into the forest as easily is hugely important," she added.

Zade Luker smiling at the camera, wearing a yellow high-vis jacket and yellow helmet. Simon has a red helmet and a teal camouflage jacket on. They are both sitting on a side-by-side bike and in the background there are other participants with their bikes.
Zade Luker (L) said the cycling sessions boosted Simon's (R) wellbeing

Another of the adapted bikes on offer is the side-by-side bike, a four-wheeled tandem bicycle which allows riders to share the exertion.

Zade Luker, a day service support worker at the Royal Forest Day Centre for people with learning disabilities, accompanies Simon along his nine-mile (14km) rides through the forest.

"He particularly likes the fast off-roading and the sensory side of things," Mr Luker explained.

"The forest is such a beautiful place to live, with all the flora and fauna. Simon can smell the forest and experience it.

"He gets a lot of sensory stimulation from it."

Kathryn and Roger Bellchamber sitting next to each other on a side-by-side red bike. They are both wearing yellow helmets and they have dark focal lens glasses. Kathryn has a light blue hat under her helmet and is wearing dark blue boots and a blue patterned coat. They are both smiling at the camera.
The couple said the sessions were an opportunity to spend quality time together while getting some gentle exercise

Married couple Kathryn and Roger Bellchamber said the adapted bikes allow them to explore nature without risking their health.

"I come to these sessions because my husband has heart failure and he can't cycle otherwise," said Mrs Bellchamber.

"On this bike, I can do all the work and he can just have a rest."

Mr Bellchamber added: "It's very nerve-wracking with her controlling the brakes and steering near ditches but I can't complain."

Seven of the adapted bikes lined up on the muddy ground in the Forest of Dean. Some of them are side-by-side bikes, some have platforms on the back for securing a wheelchair and some are pedalled by hand.
The sessions are held every other Wednesday in the Forest of Dean

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