Walking, Cycling, Tea & Cake: An Active Travel Update
In April 2024, we launched our new Active Travel Hub, with thanks to funding from Paths for All (now Walking Scotland) and NHS Tayside Charitable Foundation. With a total fund of £26,000 over the year we were able to greatly expand our work towards the active and travel aims of our strategy.
During Year 1 of the project we created the beginnings of our Active Travel Hub, through our digital channels and delivery of activities and events, including our popular e-bike borrowing scheme, basic bike maintenance workshops, group cycle rides, and 1-1 cycle skills sessions. We also established weekly Health Walks as well a range of themed walks such as dog-friendly walks, walks especially for women, family walks, fungi walks, and our popular ‘art walks’. Everyone is always pleased to find out there are usually biscuits and often cakes involved with our walks and cycles!!
We finished Year 1 with the creation of our very own Active Travel Map. You can find the maps in a range of local shops and cafés; if you pick one up we’d love to hear what you think, and are grateful of any donations towards our charity in return.
Year 1 Key Achievements
- 3 volunteers trained as Cycle Ride Leaders & Assistants
- 4 volunteers trained as Health Walk Leaders
- 5 people took part in Adult Cycle Training
- 12 people took part in Basic Bike Maintenance
- 20 regular participants of our Health Walks
“It’s been a busy first year; I’ve loved exploring tracks and trails in the local area and meeting lots of new people. I’m really looking forward to what’s coming up next.”
– Christina Turtle, Active Travel Officer, Sustainable Kirriemuir
Moving Forward…
We’re delighted to announce we’ve been successful in receiving a number of grants to support Year 2 of our Active Travel Hub. Further funding from the NHS Charitable Foundation has secured our Active Travel Project Officer staff post for the next 3 years. We’re also expanding our fleet of bikes with the addition of our brand new folding e-bike, with thanks to SSEN’s Community Benefit Fund, and 3 manual bikes to be bought with funding gratefully received from Cycling Scotland as part of their grant funding for Adult Cycle Training. The addition of these bikes, along with secure storage for them, will allow us to offer a much wider range of bikes for people in the community to try before they buy.
Also thanks to Cycling Scotland, we’re excited to have 3 volunteers taking part in the Cycle Trainer qualification, meaning we’ll have 4 people available to support you with increasing your cycling confidence through our Adult Cycle Training programme.
Finally, with thanks to TACTRAN, through Transport Scotland’s People and Place Programme, we’re working on a consultation with the local community on potential improvements to walking and cycling infrastructure in Southmuir. As part of this, we are looking to gather the views and ideas of those living in Southmuir, and welcome any involvement with our Active Travel events and activities.
“We were delighted to support Sustainable Kirriemuir through our East Coast Local Fund, helping expand its fleet of e-bikes and encouraging people to get more active and build their cycling confidence. The East Coast Local Fund is our first local fund forming a key part of what we expect to be over £100m in community benefit funding for communities in the north of Scotland, and is focused on improving health and wellbeing through initiatives that encourage activity and foster connection. Sustainable Kirriemuir is a perfect example of an organisation doing valuable work that promotes these aims, and we are delighted to see how our funding has helped expand their activities for the good of the entire community.”
– Gary Hughes, Economic Development Manager, SSEN Transmission
How Can I Get Involved?
We’d be delighted to hear from anyone in the community with skills or plain enthusiasm for being active, that could contribute to the project in any way. In return, we can provide training and support (and biscuits!), and you’ll become part of our valuable volunteer team. You’ll meet like-minded people and have fun while helping tackle the big issues, like improving physical and mental health, and reducing environmental impact, at a local level. If this sounds good, visit our Volunteer With Us page for more details and to register.
Other ways to get involved include:
- Come along to our led walks and cycles.
- Sign up for some 1-1 cycling confidence sessions.
- Borrow one of our e-bikes.
- Participate in Basic Bike Maintenance workshops.
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