Oakfield School students, alongside Steven Sunners, receive their loaned bikes from Barry Steward and Peter Young.
The HEY LEP Careers Hub partnered with R-evolution, the UK’s largest cycle charity, to support students from Oakfield School to learn cycle mechanics skills.
Oakfield School welcomed the opportunity to engage with R-evolution since it offers outdoor-based education to its pupils, which is a unique facility in the area and is a fundamental part of education and life at the east Hull school.
The students that took part in the sessions, which ran over a six-week period, were those that were finding it challenging to engage in school life.
The trainers from R-evolution, Barry Steward and Peter Young, have an individual approach that gives the students the hands-on opportunity to strip down a bike to its parts using hand tools and then learn how to rebuild the bikes, building the knowledge and skills to allow them to maintain and care for their own bikes.
The Outdoor Education Lead from Oakfield School, Steve Sunners, provided fantastic feedback on the sessions to R-evolution and even extended an invitation for them to join the students for a mountain biking session at Dalby Forest.
Through the sessions, the trainers learnt that two of the students didn’t have access to a bike to support their lives in a positive manner, such as cycling to school.
In close consultation with the school and students’ parents, R-evolution provided each of the students with a bike, each on an extended loan.
The bikes were presented to the students by the trainers from R-evolution on Tuesday 9th April.
Steve said: “I just wanted to say a massive thank you to Barry and Peter for all their help with one of our Y9 Groups. The group has thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the activities that were introduced.
“Barry and Peter were both very patient with the group and took the time to show them all the key parts of bike mechanics.
“The students now have an active interest in cycling and have asked to use the fleet of mountain bikes we have in school, this is something they previously refused to engage with.
“Thanks, Barry, for helping me to develop our resources and giving me ideas to use in my mountain biking sessions. They are both a credit to your organisation and we hope to work with you again in the future.”
To find out more about the great work of R-evolution visit their website or contact info@r-evolution.org.uk