ACVO News March 2022

17
ACVO News
March 2022
NEWS
Cycling Without Age
Volunteers Wanted in Aberdeen!
Cycling Without Age
Scotland (CWAS) is an
intergenerational project
that helps people who are isolated or
have mobility issues to get outdoors.
Volunteers transform lives and
combat loneliness and isolation by
enabling people to enjoy the benefits
of the outdoor environment through
trips on Trishaws. The rides provide
social interaction, enable new
friendships, improve health and wellbeing
and integrate communities.
Every volunteer in the team plays a
vital role.
Cycling Without Age is an exciting
new project for the Aberdeen area. It
aims to give people with limited
mobility an opportunity to experience
the joy of cycling in their later years.
Electrically assisted Trishaws, with
two seats between their two front
wheels, allow a ‘pilot’ to take two
people for excursions, allowing the
passengers to feel the wind in their
hair and visit local sites in an
ecologically friendly way.
The project, initially coordinated by
Sport Aberdeen, using funding from
the local NHS Health Improvement
Fund, will recruit and train volunteer
‘pilots’ and escorts utilising training
from Cycling Without Age Scotland.
They will provide an electrically
assisted trishaw and, if required,
suitable storage facilities with access
to electricity. Ideally these will be
based in Sheltered housing or Care
homes to allow easy access to the
activity for the residents.
Sport Aberdeen intend to deliver a
training session to allow potential
volunteers to experience the trishaw,
both as a passenger and a pilot, and
begin the process of qualifying to take
passengers out and about.
After the training/information session
potential volunteers are expected to
access the trishaw to practice it’s use.
Once confident in their competence
an assessment session will be
arranged to finally qualify our pilots.
Volunteers, who need to be over 16
years old, will be recruited to Cycling
Without Age Scotland completing
their paperwork and completing a
PVG check through CWAS. There will
be various roles available such as
'Pilots', 'Co-Pilots', 'Co-Passenger',
'Administrator' and 'Maintenance
Provider/ Mechanic' - further details
can be found at
cyclingwithoutage.scot
If you think you would like to be
involved with this exciting project,
even just to discover more about this
new activity for the area, please
contact Brian Harrison at
bharrison@sportaberdeen.co.uk
Training has been arranged for
Saturday 19th March at Westburn
Outdoor Centre (Bowling centre) at
10am. To register for a place contact
Brian as above.