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Raleigh is supporting Cycling UK’s Women’s Festival of Cycling, in a collaboration that will celebrate women in cycling and see Raleigh as headline sponsor.
This year Cycling UK’s Women’s Festival of Cycling is taking place from 17th July to 1st August. It aims to inspire more women to go for a ride, putting their mental health and wellbeing first and realise the joy of cycling. Activities will include digital events, advice and organised women’s-only and women-friendly rides taking place across the UK. Participants can register their rides here.
Raleigh also supports World Bicycle Relief, which mobilises people through The Power of Bicycles. Raleigh supports World Bicycle Relief’s belief that bicycles have a vital role in empowering women and girls in developing regions of the world.
To celebrate the sponsorship of the Women’s Festival of Cycling and the 100 Women in Cycling list, which celebrates inspirational women who are encouraging others to experience the joy of cycling, Raleigh has recreated one of its advertisements promoting the joy of cycling to women nearly 100 years ago.
The adverts, based on an original 1922 Raleigh design, appear in the Tottenham Court Road/Oxford Circus corridor on Clear Channel sites. The bike brand will also provide a range of tips based tools for participants, as well as a selection of competition prizes across the festival.
Michelle Jakeway, head of marketing for Raleigh, said: “We strongly believe in the importance of equality across all aspects and understand that it is our responsibility to be a role model as a company but also individuals to show the support women in cycling deserve. There is nothing that makes us happier than seeing more women cycling and so we’re delighted to be supporting this important initiative with Cycling UK.”
Sarah Mitchell, chief executive of Cycling UK, added: “There are still many barriers preventing women from participating in cycling. In the UK, men still make nearly four times as many journeys by bike than women. Until we have gender parity in cycling, we will not become a cycling nation with greener cities, healthier populations and happier neighbourhoods. Getting more women riding is another piece of the puzzle in making a better world by bike.”
Also supporting the Women’s Festival of Cycling is Lily Beaven from Women in Tandem, a women-focused cycling co-operative in Nottingham. Women in Tandem offers cycle training and bike maintenance classes for women.
Beaven said: “Women in Tandem are a Nottingham-based bike collective that aims to empower women to cycle. Currently we achieve this by offering Women’s Bike Maintenance Courses and Led Group Bike Rides and we invite everyone in our local community to access our free ‘Dr Bike’ fixing sessions across the city and our mobile affordable bike repair service, we have seen huge increase in demand for repair classes specifically for women.
“Cycling is one of the most discriminatory industries and we want to be part of the movement to redress this imbalance. We want to support women to overcome additional barriers to cycling so they have the confidence and skills to enjoy cycling.”
Read the July issue of BikeBiz below:
