Last year we were asked to carry out some Dr Bike sessions at 3 schools in Sheffield, specifically Manor Lodge School, Norfolk Community School and Arbourthorne School. We were more than happy to help, after all part of our mission statement is to get more children cycling and keep them cycling by providing support throughout school life and then beyond.
During these session there were many problems, some we could fix, a few were beyond repair and some needed more attention in our shop but one thing that struck us about all the kids bikes bar a few was that all needed their tyres pumping up. Keeping your tyres inflated is critical not only to safety and control of the bike but it makes riding so much easier. We asked if the schools had bicycle pumps and none of them did, we asked the kids if they had access to a bicycle pump, some did most didn’t and some told us their dad would take it to the petrol station to pump up the tyres. So when we reported back we suggested that the schools should be supplied with a bicycle pump each.
On this suggestion in stepped Sheffield City Trust with a grant to supply a bicycle pump to 40 schools across the city. We ordered the pumps, branded them and delivered them, by cargo bike of course, to all the schools across the city. The whole process taking a couple of weeks.
We believe these pumps are vital to providing a sustainable infrastructure to allow everyone to cycle safely. We hope that we can supply a pump to every school in the city over the coming years.