Later this month, the first accessible cycling festival is due to be held at Les Quennevais at which there will be a range of bikes adapted to allow people with limited mobility the chance to try cycling or to cycle with someone else on two-seaters.
Lesley Bratch, a committee member of Enable Jersey, suggested the idea of a new centre having seen them in the UK with her daughter Tasha, who is 24 and has mobility issues requiring her to use a wheelchair all the time.
‘It is the first rung on the ladder for something I’ve been thinking about for a while,’ said Mrs Bratch.
‘My eldest daughter is an occupational therapist in the UK where they have these centres already.’
Enable Jersey and Move More, which is part of Jersey Sport, hope the festival – on Saturday 12 October – will prove popular and show the need for a permanent Wheels for All Centre that would have adapted bikes and be staffed by trained volunteers.
Mrs Bratch, who founded the Special Needs Advisory Panel, said when her daughter was younger, she was able to use a trike that was adapted to support her physical requirements.
‘As we live on a quiet estate attached to the Railway Walk, she was able to cycle safely around the area with her family and other local children.
‘This involvement in the community from an early age meant that she built up a wide circle of friends who are still part of our lives today.’
Mrs Bratch said having access to this activity not only helped her physically, but also created a feeling of wellbeing and belonging.
Unfortunately, as her daughter got older, it became too difficult to lift her onto her bike.
‘Having access to an adapted bike would bring a huge smile from Tasha. These are activities we see other people doing that we can’t,’ she said.
But Mrs Bratch said they were not getting involved with this for their family to benefit, it was motivated by the need to help people who cannot get out stop feeling like they were second-class citizens.
‘Isolation is huge issue,’ she said. ‘Even if you are on bikes for half an hour you are meeting people and you are out from inside those four walls.
‘And it will bring a sense of understanding within the community. Only by getting out and about do you meet people and get that contact.’
The Wheels for All festival is at Les Quennevais Sports Centre on Saturday 12 October between 11am and 3pm.
