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Cycling UK is launching a fundraising appeal to keep health and social care key workers cycling through the COVID-19 crisis.
More than 1,000 NHS frontline workers have already signed up for free Cycling UK membership when it was launched at the beginning of April, providing them with third-party insurance cover and free legal advice.
Now the charity is extending its offer to all health and social care workers to thank them for their continued efforts.
To fund the free three-month memberships, Cycling UK has launched its Keep the Wheels Turning appeal to initially raise £25,000 which would fund more than 1,500 memberships.
Nicola Marshall, Cycling UK’s director of Income Generation, said: ”This is a way we can all say thank you to those amazing people who are putting their lives on the line for us every day, and to keep the wheels turning.
“We want to enable all critical workers, especially those in health and social care, to be able to keep working, and cycling remains the safest form of transport for them. It’s also great for their health and mental wellbeing in this time of immense stress.”
Cycling UK is also looking to provide free maintenance, repair and safety checks plus bike loans and equipment such as helmets and bike locks for all key workers in the coming weeks. Plans are currently being worked out and details are expected to be revealed in the coming weeks.
A donation of £15 would pay for a health and social care worker to have free membership, £30 would pay for a key worker’s bike to be serviced and checked, and £50 could provide an essential equipment package, including locks and clothing.
“We’ve been overwhelmed by the number of frontline NHS workers who wanted to take up our membership offer, and now we’ve listened to other health and social care workers who expressed an interest and have widened the offer,” Marshall added.
“But we can’t do it without public support. So, if you care about keeping our critical health workers on the move on their bikes, please support our appeal, donate what you can today and help keep the wheels turning for all health and social care workers.”
